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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bank — for money
  6. bark — to shout
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. face — to confront
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. court — of a king
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. court — of law
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mug — a face
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bank — of a river
  20. court — for sport
  21. mug — to rob
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. game — a match
  24. bank — for money

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