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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: degree · leaves · bark · lean · straw · saw · suit · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. degree — an amount
  8. face — part of the head
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. suit — to fit
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. suit — clothes
  16. degree — from a university
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. suit — in cards
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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