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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: leaves · face · fine · season · bat · vault · temple · branch

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. season — of the year
  11. bat — the animal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. face — part of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fine — high quality
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. branch — a division

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