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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · capital · patient · ball · root · lean · kick · spell

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. root — of a plant
  3. lean — thin
  4. kick — in football
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — magic
  7. root — the cause
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. capital — money
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spell — a short time
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. spell — letters
  20. capital — a city
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. root — of a word
  24. ball — a great time

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