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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bank — for money
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. field — for sport
  12. face — part of the head
  13. field — a subject
  14. root — the cause
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. face — to confront
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. chip — for betting
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chip — to eat

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