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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. fork — in a road
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wound — an injury
  8. land — to come down
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. deal — to handle
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wound — an injury
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. field — for sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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