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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · trunk · stem · face · lie · wound · jam · plane

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. face — to point toward
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — to come down
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stem — to come from
  10. face — to confront
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. plane — a tool
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wound — an injury
  19. face — part of the head
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lie — to recline
  24. land — ground

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