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

Word bank: bay · lean · trunk · straw · object · bank · cold · board

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. cold — an illness
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. board — a committee
  16. lean — to bend
  17. object — an aim
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. board — to get on
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cold — not warm
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bank — for money
  24. lean — thin

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