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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — for sport
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bank — for money
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bank — of a river
  14. field — farmland
  15. spring — the season
  16. field — a subject
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ground — a position
  19. bass — low music
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bass — the instrument

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