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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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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 · lie · bear · bat · bay · trunk · nail · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. face — to confront
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bat — the animal
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — to point toward
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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