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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 · mine · face · present · roll · ruler · fall · file

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. file — a line of people
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. present — there
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. present — the time now
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fall — to drop
  9. file — a document
  10. fall — the season
  11. mine — for digging
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. roll — a list
  16. present — a gift
  17. face — part of the head
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. file — a tool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. ruler — a monarch

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