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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. face — to confront
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a music group
  7. tear — from crying
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rush — hurry
  12. lean — to bend
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. band — a ring
  17. press — to push
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. face — to point toward

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