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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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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: lie · content · capital · wake · ground · trunk · object · bulb

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. object — a thing
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — a city
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. capital — money
  12. content — the amount
  13. object — an aim
  14. ground — crushed
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wake — a trail
  18. object — to protest
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — the earth
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. ground — a position
  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