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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: toast · sharp · trunk · rest · lash · bound · face · cold

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cold — not warm
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bound — certain
  11. face — to point toward
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rest — a break
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. toast — bread
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cold — an illness
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. face — to confront
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. toast — the most admired
  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