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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.

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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: rock · season · wake · rest · face · vault · chair · branch

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rock — a stone
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wake — a trail
  16. season — of the year
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. season — in sport
  24. vault — a safe

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