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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: trunk · spring · saw · land · leaves · lean · hide · key

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. land — to come down
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lean — to bend
  8. spring — a coil
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — of water
  12. lean — thin
  13. land — a country
  14. key — in music
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. spring — the season
  23. land — ground
  24. lean — to rest against

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