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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · plane · fan · season · perch · capital · tear · leaves

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. season — in sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — of the year
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. plane — a tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — from crying

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