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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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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 · lean · stem · roll · ground · fall · can · lie

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ground — crushed
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. roll — a cake
  6. can — a tin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. roll — a list
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fall — the season
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — thin
  17. lie — to recline
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. can — a tin
  20. ground — a position
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stem — of a plant

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