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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: leaves · face · lash · foot · pitcher · band · trunk · track

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. track — a song
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. track — to keep track
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. foot — a measure
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. track — a path
  24. lash — to lash out

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