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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hand — help
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hand — in cards
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fall — the season
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. face — to confront
  14. lie — to recline
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — a container
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. tube — in a tire

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