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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. field — a subject
  3. band — a music group
  4. wind — moving air
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. can — to be able to
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. field — for sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. date — the fruit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. can — a tin
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a ring
  24. field — farmland

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