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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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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: branch · rash · face · spring · object · lean · toast · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — a series
  3. object — a thing
  4. lean — to bend
  5. face — to confront
  6. toast — bread
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spring — the season
  9. object — an aim
  10. rash — hasty
  11. face — to point toward
  12. lean — thin
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. object — to protest
  20. spring — of water
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. spring — a coil

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