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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: tear · bass · lean · cue · land · trunk · ground · lash

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lean — thin
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ground — a position
  6. land — to come down
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ground — crushed
  11. land — ground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bass — low music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. land — a country
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cue — for pool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cue — a hint

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