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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. lie — to recline
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spell — letters
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. face — to confront
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. spell — magic
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. face — to point toward
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — part of the head
  24. trunk — of a car

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