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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. season — in sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. face — to confront
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tube — a container
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. season — of the year

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