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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. row — a line
  7. cell — in biology
  8. press — to push
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. press — newspapers
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. press — a publisher
  17. snap — to click
  18. face — part of the head
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rest — what's left
  24. trunk — of a car

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