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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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. bound — obliged
  4. tube — the underground
  5. court — for sport
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tube — a container
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bound — certain
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. sharp — clever
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lean — thin
  22. court — of a king
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. court — of law

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