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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: pass · cell · ball · land · last · face · branch · net

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pass — a permit
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. last — finally
  7. branch — a division
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. land — a country
  10. ball — a dance
  11. land — ground
  12. net — after costs
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. ball — a great time
  16. net — in sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cell — in biology
  19. land — to come down
  20. last — final
  21. net — for catching
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. last — to go 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