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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — a break
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. tube — a container
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rest — what's left
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — part of the head

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