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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. press — a publisher
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. content — happy
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wax — to grow
  13. press — newspapers
  14. squash — to crush
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. press — to push
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — the amount
  20. net — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. content — videos and posts

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