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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: deal · trunk · wake · chest · lie · bear · rest · file

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. file — a tool
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chest — a box
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chest — of your body
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. file — a document
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lie — to recline
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bear — the animal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bear — the animal
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rest — a break

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