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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. face — to point toward
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. face — part of the head
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. sharp — clever
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. staff — employees
  12. rule — a law
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — to cut
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. face — to confront
  24. rule — government

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