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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: dip · wound · face · wind · rush · saw · trunk · fine

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to confront
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fine — high quality
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wind — moving air
  8. dip — to sink
  9. saw — the tool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fine — all right
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. trunk — of a tree

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