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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · leaves · fork · mine · wound · trunk · spell · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spell — letters
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kid — child
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wound — an injury
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. mine — for digging
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fork — in a road

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