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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: deal · hand · trunk · track · bulb · file · wind · face

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wind — moving air
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — to confront
  10. track — a song
  11. face — part of the head
  12. file — a line of people
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bulb — for light
  17. file — a document
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. file — a tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hand — help
  23. face — to point toward
  24. hand — in cards

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