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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.

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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: can · rock · clip · bore · lean · branch · chest · face

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. can — a tin
  2. branch — a division
  3. face — to point toward
  4. can — a tin
  5. chest — a box
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lean — thin
  12. rock — music
  13. can — to be able to
  14. clip — a video
  15. bore — to drill
  16. lean — to bend
  17. clip — to cut
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bore — to tire
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. clip — for paper
  23. branch — of a tree
  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