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

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. face — part of the head
  4. root — the cause
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pop — to visit
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. field — for sport
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. root — of a word
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. vault — a safe
  23. root — of a plant
  24. field — a subject

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