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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: face · branch · pitcher · bass · kick · lean · tear · hide

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. tear — to rip
  10. kick — in football
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lean — thin
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lean — to bend
  19. branch — a division
  20. tear — from crying
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bass — low music
  24. face — to confront

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