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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: fan · face · cabinet · toast · drill · cold · branch · lean

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. face — part of the head
  5. branch — a division
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. drill — army training
  10. face — to confront
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lean — thin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lean — to bend
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. toast — bread
  24. cold — an illness

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