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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. face — to confront
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. face — to point toward
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. deal — to handle
  13. face — part of the head
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wound — an injury

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