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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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468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. face — to point toward
  3. spell — a short time
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spell — magic
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — ground
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. spell — letters
  18. land — a country
  19. press — newspapers
  20. face — to confront
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. face — part of the head
  23. land — to come down
  24. perch — the fish

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