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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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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: trunk · band · wake · lie · bay · spell · land · bore

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. spell — magic
  5. band — a ring
  6. land — a country
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. land — ground
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wake — a trail
  17. band — a music group
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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