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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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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: board · face · lie · lean · band · branch · game · straw

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. face — to confront
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lean — to bend
  8. board — a committee
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lean — thin
  12. branch — a division
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lie — to recline
  17. band — a music group
  18. game — a match
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. board — to get on

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