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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: face · fine · land · spell · trunk · bass · cue · suit

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cue — a signal
  4. face — to confront
  5. suit — to fit
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bass — low music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cue — for pool
  10. land — a country
  11. spell — magic
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bass — the fish
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. face — to point toward

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