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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: tear · field · deal · mouse · prune · game · lean · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tear — from crying
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. tear — from crying
  9. game — a match
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. field — a subject
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. deal — to handle
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. field — for sport
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. field — farmland
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — to rip
  24. game — wild animals

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