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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: trunk · face · date · spell · rule · season · racket · wind

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spell — a short time
  4. face — to confront
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wind — moving air
  10. face — to point toward
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. date — the fruit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rule — a law
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spell — magic
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rule — government
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. season — of the year
  24. face — part of the head

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