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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: trunk · face · scale · cap · dip · net · bear · tear

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. face — to confront
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tear — to rip
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — for catching
  15. face — part of the head
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cap — of ice
  20. face — to point toward
  21. net — after costs
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. net — in sport

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