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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: race · face · trunk · leaves · fork · rock · wax · bound

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rock — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bound — tied together
  11. face — to confront
  12. rock — a stone
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fork — in a road
  15. race — humankind
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bound — obliged
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. face — to point toward
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bound — certain

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