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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. press — to push
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. press — a publisher
  10. chest — of your body
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chest — a box
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. foot — a measure
  17. face — part of the head
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bark — to shout
  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