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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. face — to confront
  3. chest — a box
  4. bank — of a river
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. key — the most important part
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. row — a line
  14. bank — for money
  15. chest — of your body
  16. key — for a lock
  17. face — part of the head
  18. row — to paddle
  19. key — in music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bank — for money
  24. trunk — of a tree

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