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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: sharp · dip · ball · trunk · lean · bowl · wound · land

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. sharp — clever
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. land — to come down
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. land — a country
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lean — to bend
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — ground

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