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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. field — for sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. field — a subject
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wake — a trail
  17. scale — in music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. field — farmland
  20. rest — a break
  21. scale — size or range
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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