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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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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 · bat · last · lean · spell · trunk · fan · craft

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spell — letters
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — finally
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spell — a short time
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — final
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. last — to go on
  20. spell — magic
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. craft — boats
  24. trunk — of a car

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