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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
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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 · root · court · can · trunk · band · content · fall

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fall — to drop
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. court — of law
  7. root — the cause
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. band — a ring
  10. fall — to drop
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. court — for sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. content — happy
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. root — of a plant
  19. fall — the season
  20. content — the amount
  21. court — of a king
  22. band — a music group
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. root — of a word

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