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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: trunk · face · calf · content · board · nail · mine · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. face — part of the head
  6. content — the amount
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. face — to point toward
  12. content — happy
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. face — to confront
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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