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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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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: rest · fan · bank · pit · lean · bat · wind · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rest — a break
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bank — for money
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lean — thin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bat — the animal

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