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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: content · date · lie · wound · trunk · cell · clip · plane

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. content — the amount
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cell — in biology
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. content — happy
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cell — a phone
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. plane — a tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. date — the fruit

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