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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: coach · trunk · stick · bowl · tear · lean · hand · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lean — to bend
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tear — to rip
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lean — thin
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. can — a tin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — help
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lean — to rest against

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