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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: content · straw · lash · face · bowl · land · cap · trunk

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. face — to point toward
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. face — to confront
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. land — ground
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. land — a country
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. land — to come down
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. content — happy

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