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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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 confront
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bark — to shout
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ball — a great time
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. land — a country
  14. face — to point toward
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. land — to come down
  19. ball — a dance
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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