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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.

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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. present — the time now
  6. bank — of a river
  7. present — there
  8. field — for sport
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. present — a gift
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — a subject
  15. bank — for money
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. field — farmland
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bank — for money

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