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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · leaves · lean · wave · trunk · mouse · kick · file

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. file — a tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. file — a document
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. kick — in football
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rash — a series

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