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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. shower — to wash
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mug — a cup
  8. shower — rain
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. root — of a word
  16. field — for sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. root — the cause
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — to confront
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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