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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. press — to push
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. land — to come down
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. object — a thing
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — to keep track
  9. object — to protest
  10. bass — the fish
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. bass — low music
  14. object — an aim
  15. track — a path
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. track — a song
  24. face — to point toward

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