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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: race · land · file · vault · face · lie · branch · spring

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. face — to confront
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a tool
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. file — a document
  11. spring — the season
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lie — to recline
  15. branch — a division
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. face — to point toward
  18. race — humankind
  19. file — a line of people
  20. vault — a safe
  21. race — a contest
  22. spring — of water
  23. race — the arms race
  24. land — a country

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