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

Word bank: stand · face · trunk · rest · pitch · saw · bear · temple

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bear — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. face — to confront
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stand — to bear
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. saw — the tool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. face — to point toward
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rest — a break
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bear — the animal

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