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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: rush · plane · tear · lean · bay · spell · scale · trunk

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spell — letters
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. scale — size or range
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. spell — a short time
  20. lean — thin
  21. scale — in music
  22. rush — hurry
  23. tear — to rip
  24. spell — magic

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