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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. face — to point toward
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stand — to bear
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stock — goods
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stock — shares
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lean — to bend
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. degree — temperature
  23. face — part of the head
  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