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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.

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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: perch · lean · season · clip · trunk · sharp · temple · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. face — part of the head
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. lean — thin
  6. season — in sport
  7. clip — a video
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lean — to bend
  12. perch — the fish
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. clip — for paper
  21. face — to confront
  22. clip — to cut
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. season — of the year

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