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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: perch · ball · content · trunk · row · last · plane · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. perch — the fish
  3. plane — a tool
  4. row — to paddle
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. row — a line
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lean — thin
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. content — happy
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. last — to go on
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ball — a round shape

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