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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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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: face · rest · bay · track · tear · plane · trunk · perch

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. face — to point toward
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tear — from crying
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rest — a break
  10. track — to keep track
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tear — from crying
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. track — a song
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rest — what's left
  20. track — a path
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. perch — for a bird

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