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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · trunk · content · spell · object · wound · march · lie

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cell — a phone
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spell — magic
  6. wound — an injury
  7. march — the month
  8. lie — to recline
  9. march — music
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cell — in biology
  12. content — happy
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spell — a short time
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. object — an aim
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. content — the amount
  19. march — the month
  20. object — a thing
  21. wound — an injury
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. spell — letters

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