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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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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. field — a subject
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. face — to confront
  11. field — farmland
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — for sport
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wake — a trail

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