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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bank · bat · chest · lie · trunk · wave · pitcher

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. land — ground
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bank — for money
  12. chest — a box
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — a country
  21. bank — of a river
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wave — of the sea
  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