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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: staff · land · season · foot · face · trunk · dip · net

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. face — part of the head
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — in sport
  6. land — to come down
  7. season — of the year
  8. land — ground
  9. face — to point toward
  10. staff — employees
  11. season — in sport
  12. land — a country
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. foot — a measure
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. face — to confront
  21. staff — employees
  22. dip — to sink
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. foot — part of the body

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