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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bark — to shout
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rash — a series
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. face — to point toward
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wind — to turn a key

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