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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lean — thin
  3. object — to protest
  4. track — a song
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. club — for golf
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. club — for dancing
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — to confront
  17. stem — to come from
  18. object — an aim
  19. lean — to bend
  20. object — a thing
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. club — a group
  24. face — to point toward

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