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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 124 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. lie — to recline
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. face — to confront
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. snap — to click
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. capital — a city
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rest — what's left
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. capital — money
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rest — what's left

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