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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bound — tied together
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ball — a dance
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. club — a group
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bound — certain
  20. ball — a great time
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pound — a weight
  24. perch — for a bird

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