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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. clip — for paper
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. clip — to cut
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. clip — a video
  15. face — part of the head
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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