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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: bay · lean · calf · perch · spell · trunk · court · mark

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spell — letters
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. spell — magic
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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