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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: key · stem · trunk · lie · sharp · track · fall · face

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. key — the most important part
  8. sharp — clever
  9. track — to keep track
  10. key — for a lock
  11. face — to confront
  12. fall — to drop
  13. face — part of the head
  14. track — a song
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. key — in music
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fall — the season

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