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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 120 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. field — a subject
  4. file — a document
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. field — farmland
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. field — for sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. stand — to bear
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cue — a signal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. calf — a young animal

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