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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 120 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. staff — employees
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. land — ground
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. clip — a video
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — to cut
  17. land — a country
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lie — to recline
  20. staff — employees
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — to come down
  24. staff — a stick

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