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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. band — a music group
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bore — to drill
  15. last — final
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. band — a ring
  21. bat — the animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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