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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. charge — electricity
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. field — a subject
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. plane — a tool
  18. hand — help
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. pop — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pop — soda

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