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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · toast · face · branch · cap · lash · bat · hide

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to confront
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. toast — bread
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. branch — a division

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com