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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. track — a song
  10. bulb — for light
  11. shower — to wash
  12. field — farmland
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fall — to drop
  15. drill — army training
  16. track — a path
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. shower — rain

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