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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fine — high quality
  3. scale — in music
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. face — to confront
  8. fine — all right
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — to trim
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — thin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — part of the head

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