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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 116 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: lie · leaves · saw · sharp · present · capital · trunk · fan

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. present — a gift
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lie — to recline
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. present — the time now
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. present — there
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. capital — money
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. capital — a city

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