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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: cell · sharp · bank · lie · face · trunk · spell · bass

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bass — low music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spell — letters
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bass — the fish
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. spell — magic
  16. face — to confront
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bank — for money

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