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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
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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: hide · wax · face · lean · land · press · march · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. press — to push
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. press — a publisher
  8. land — to come down
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. face — to confront
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — to grow
  16. face — to point toward
  17. press — newspapers
  18. march — the month
  19. lean — to bend
  20. march — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lean — thin
  24. face — part of the head

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