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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cell — a phone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. face — part of the head
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. face — to confront
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fall — the season
  16. face — to point toward
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rush — hurry
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. clip — a video
  24. rush — a thrill

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