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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: cue · leaves · field · branch · dip · cabinet · cap · face

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. field — for sport
  4. face — to confront
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. branch — a division
  12. cue — for pool
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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