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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — thin
  3. face — to confront
  4. scale — in music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. scale — size or range
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — a subject
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. lie — to recline
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. field — for sport
  23. plane — a tool
  24. field — farmland

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