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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. tube — a container
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. face — to confront
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. object — a thing
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. face — part of the head
  11. object — an aim
  12. branch — a division
  13. tube — the underground
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. court — of law
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. object — to protest
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. court — for sport
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. court — of a king
  24. face — to point toward

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