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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. field — a subject
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. staff — a stick
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — employees
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. can — to be able to
  18. field — for sport
  19. wake — a trail
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. band — a music group
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — farmland

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