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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: trunk · face · rest · vault · branch · saw · wake · bass

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rest — a break
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wake — a trail
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rest — what's left
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bass — low music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — to confront
  22. branch — a division
  23. saw — the tool
  24. face — to point toward

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