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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. firm — steady
  3. mug — a face
  4. bound — certain
  5. firm — decided
  6. bound — tied together
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. firm — a company
  10. field — a subject
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. field — for sport
  13. game — a match
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stem — to come from
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bound — obliged
  21. field — farmland
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mug — a cup
  24. nail — for a hammer

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