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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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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: trunk · spell · fork · lean · bore · wound · foot · roll

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spell — a short time
  7. foot — a measure
  8. roll — a list
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. roll — a cake
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spell — magic
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. lean — thin
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. trunk — of a car

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