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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.

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: face · stem · wind · branch · safe · season · clip · lean

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. face — to confront
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. season — of the year
  5. face — to point toward
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — in sport
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. clip — a video
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — to cut
  15. branch — a division
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lean — to bend
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lean — thin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. safe — out of danger

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