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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. file — a tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rest — what's left
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. plane — a tool
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. file — a document
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — to point toward
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bass — low music
  23. rest — a break
  24. trunk — of a tree

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