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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitcher · fall · file · bay · face · branch · net · band

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. branch — a division
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. band — a music group
  11. fall — the season
  12. band — a ring
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a tool
  18. net — for catching
  19. file — a document
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. face — to confront
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a line of people
  24. face — part of the head

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