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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: straw · content · safe · tear · trunk · face · capital · fan

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. content — happy
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. face — part of the head
  11. tear — to rip
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. content — the amount
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. capital — money
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tear — from crying
  22. capital — a city
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. tear — from crying

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