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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. clip — for paper
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. fall — to drop
  10. saw — the tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. clip — a video
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — a city
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. bear — the animal
  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