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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — a phone
  7. file — a document
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. trunk — of a car

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