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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rest — a break
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — a tin
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. rest — what's left
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — what's left
  16. can — to be able to
  17. spell — magic
  18. prune — to trim
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. spell — letters

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