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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: face · wound · cell · toast · can · deal · club · branch

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cell — a phone
  5. club — for dancing
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. toast — bread
  10. branch — a division
  11. club — for golf
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — a tin
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — in biology
  22. club — a group
  23. face — to confront
  24. deal — an agreement

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