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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. court — for sport
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — a division
  17. court — of a king
  18. cold — an illness
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cold — not warm
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. court — of law
  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