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

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. face — to confront
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. content — happy
  15. face — to point toward
  16. content — the amount
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. march — music

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