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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. face — to confront
  6. lie — to recline
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. press — to push
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cap — of ice
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cap — a lid
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lie — an untruth

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