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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. board — a committee
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rock — music
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. board — to get on
  19. lean — thin
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. board — a flat piece

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