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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: leaves · rush · lean · bowl · capital · wound · ground · trunk

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. capital — a city
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ground — a position
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lean — thin
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. ground — crushed

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