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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: branch · capital · lie · bore · face · bass · chair · dip

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bass — low music
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. face — part of the head
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. capital — a city
  15. face — to point toward
  16. dip — to sink
  17. branch — a division
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bass — the fish
  22. face — to confront
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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