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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. roll — a list
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. face — to confront
  10. wind — moving air
  11. race — a contest
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. race — humankind
  14. lean — thin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. roll — a cake
  17. race — the arms race
  18. trunk — of a car

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