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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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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 · band · foot · hide · mug · perch · tear · trunk

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. tear — from crying
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. lean — thin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tear — from crying
  14. band — a ring
  15. tear — to rip
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lean — to bend
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mug — to rob
  23. perch — the fish
  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