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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: dip · saw · lean · bat · trunk · kick · leaves · board

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. saw — the tool
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. kick — in football
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bat — for baseball

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