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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: lie · wind · field · lean · rock · racket · trunk · kick

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rock — music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. field — for sport
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. field — farmland
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lean — to bend
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lie — to recline
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kick — in football
  18. lean — thin
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. field — a subject
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wind — moving air

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