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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bank — for money
  4. field — farmland
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. toast — bread
  9. bank — for money
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bank — of a river
  12. field — a subject
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bass — low music
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. squash — the sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bass — the fish
  24. field — for sport

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