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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bark — to shout
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. perch — the fish
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — the month
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — the underground
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. march — music
  24. craft — boats

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