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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 120 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: leaves · bay · ball · perch · coach · trunk · tear · bat

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. perch — the fish
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bat — the animal
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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