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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: pitch · lean · tear · arm · spell · game · trunk · face

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spell — letters
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — a match
  5. tear — from crying
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tear — to rip
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitch — completely
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. face — to confront
  19. spell — a short time
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. spell — magic

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