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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 116 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: fan · object · lean · stem · trunk · fine · game · rest

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. object — to protest
  5. fine — high quality
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. object — an aim
  17. rest — what's left
  18. object — a thing
  19. rest — a break
  20. lean — thin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stem — of a plant

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