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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — final
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. face — part of the head
  8. net — in sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cold — not warm
  15. net — for catching
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. shower — to wash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cold — an illness
  22. net — after costs
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. face — to confront

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