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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: racket · leaves · mine · trunk · fall · cell · mark · lean

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lean — thin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fall — the season
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mine — for digging
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lean — to bend
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cell — in biology

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