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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. face — part of the head
  4. press — to push
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. branch — a division
  8. swing — music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. press — newspapers
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. face — to confront
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. face — to point toward
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. press — a publisher
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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