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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: bear · branch · face · racket · land · coach · ruler · spring

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. face — to confront
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — to come down
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bear — the animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. face — to point toward
  21. land — a country
  22. branch — a division
  23. bear — the animal
  24. land — ground

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