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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. field — a subject
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — farmland
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. field — for sport

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