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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: cue · rash · bear · squash · face · file · fall · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rash — a series
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. face — to confront
  6. fall — the season
  7. squash — the sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cue — a signal
  10. file — a tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — part of the head
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bear — the animal
  18. file — a document
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — to point toward

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