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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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 car
  2. court — of law
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. root — of a word
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. root — the cause
  14. charge — electricity
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cell — a phone
  17. charge — a price
  18. branch — a division
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. face — to confront
  21. charge — in control
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  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