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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: lie · trunk · band · plane · charge · chest · cell · bear

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. charge — electricity
  5. chest — of your body
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cell — a phone
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. band — a music group
  12. charge — in control
  13. band — a ring
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. charge — a price
  22. chest — a box
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cell — in a prison

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