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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.

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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: staff · row · wound · cell · face · snap · trunk · fine

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cell — in biology
  3. row — a line
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. staff — a stick
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. face — to confront
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fine — high quality
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wound — an injury
  20. row — to paddle
  21. snap — to click
  22. staff — employees
  23. fine — all right
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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