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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: pass · cold · face · craft · branch · straw · cabinet · file

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pass — a permit
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cold — an illness
  23. file — a tool
  24. craft — a skill

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