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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 116 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. degree — temperature
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. shower — rain
  12. lean — thin
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. hand — in cards
  16. face — to confront
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lean — to bend
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rock — music
  22. hand — help
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. degree — an amount

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