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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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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: ball · game · foot · bear · season · scale · trunk · lean

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. foot — a measure
  3. ball — a great time
  4. game — a match
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. scale — size or range
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. season — in sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. game — wild animals
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — of the year
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lean — thin

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