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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.

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: branch · field · staff · dip · straw · perch · face · trunk

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. face — to point toward
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. dip — to sink
  6. field — a subject
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. face — part of the head
  13. staff — employees
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. field — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. staff — a stick
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. field — farmland

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