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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bass — the fish
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. object — to protest
  7. field — a subject
  8. ground — the earth
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — crushed
  13. net — after costs
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. object — an aim
  16. net — in sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. field — farmland
  20. net — for catching
  21. field — for sport
  22. bass — low music
  23. ground — a position
  24. object — a thing

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