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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.

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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: current · rash · mark · face · rule · branch · lie · chair

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. face — to confront
  3. rule — government
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rule — a law
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. current — electric
  8. lie — to recline
  9. current — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rash — a series
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chair — a leader
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. current — happening now
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mark — to pay attention

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