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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: lean · trunk · season · hand · bear · land · stem · mark

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bear — the animal
  4. season — in sport
  5. lean — to bend
  6. land — a country
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hand — help
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mark — a grade
  11. stem — to come from
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lean — thin
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. land — to come down
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. season — of the year
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hand — in cards
  23. land — ground
  24. mark — to pay attention

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