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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: rest · pitcher · drill · face · lean · lie · wind · trunk

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — a practice
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lean — to bend
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. drill — army training
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. face — to confront
  23. lean — thin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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