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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. field — farmland
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stock — goods
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stock — shares
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. field — a subject
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fall — the season
  24. mate — a friend

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