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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. band — a ring
  3. lie — to recline
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. last — to go on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. face — to confront
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — to point toward
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cap — of ice
  20. last — final
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. face — part of the head

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