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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: trunk · wind · staff · stick · spell · face · fall · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fall — the season
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spell — magic
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — employees
  12. can — a tin
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — a tin
  23. spell — letters
  24. face — part of the head

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