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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bound — tied together
  3. branch — a division
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lie — to recline
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. kid — child
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bound — obliged
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. face — to point toward
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bound — certain
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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