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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. field — a subject
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. field — for sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fall — the season
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. field — farmland
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fall — to drop

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