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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. can — a tin
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — thin
  8. rest — a break
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. can — a tin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. season — in sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. season — of the year
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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