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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.

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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: shower · straw · face · trunk · bank · season · lean · squash

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. face — part of the head
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. squash — the sport
  9. season — in sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bank — for money
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lean — to bend
  18. season — of the year
  19. face — to point toward
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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