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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · trunk · pitch · bay · face · branch · current · chest

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. current — happening now
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chest — a box
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. current — electric
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — part of the head
  15. branch — a division
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. current — of water
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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