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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.

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: mouse · leaves · bat · field · trunk · ground · lean · cell

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ground — crushed
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. lean — to bend
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — thin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cell — in biology

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