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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: lean · date · land · face · pitcher · trunk · pit · cap

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lean — to bend
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pit — in a race
  11. date — the fruit
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. face — to confront
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — thin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — a country
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cap — a lid

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