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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: trunk · tear · can · roll · court · lean · plane · last

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. last — to go on
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. roll — a list
  6. court — of law
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lean — thin
  9. roll — a cake
  10. tear — to rip
  11. plane — a tool
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. tear — from crying
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. last — final
  16. court — for sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — of a king
  20. last — finally
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. can — a tin

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