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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pop — to visit
  5. last — to go on
  6. face — to point toward
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. pop — music
  11. land — a country
  12. last — final
  13. face — part of the head
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — finally
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. trunk — of a car

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