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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. land — ground
  3. face — part of the head
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — of water
  6. cell — in biology
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. game — wild animals
  10. face — to confront
  11. date — the fruit
  12. game — a match
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — a country
  15. face — to point toward
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. land — to come down
  18. spring — the season
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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