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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. band — a ring
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rock — music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rock — a stone
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lean — to bend
  9. press — newspapers
  10. face — to confront
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. face — to point toward
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lean — thin
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. band — a music group
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. press — to push
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. press — a publisher
  24. face — part of the head

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