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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. court — for sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. court — of law
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — a division
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. court — of a king
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stand — to bear
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. face — to confront
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. lie — an untruth

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