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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: straw · foot · pass · present · kid · prune · trunk · lean

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. present — the time now
  3. lean — thin
  4. present — a gift
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. prune — to trim
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pass — a permit
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. lean — to bend
  17. present — there
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — a measure
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kid — to tease

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