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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. game — wild animals
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. press — to push
  8. face — to point toward
  9. branch — a division
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. game — a match
  15. press — newspapers
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. press — a publisher
  23. face — part of the head
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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