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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — a hat
  6. field — a subject
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bank — of a river
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. drill — army training
  11. bank — for money
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cap — a lid
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bank — for money
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. field — for sport
  22. hand — help
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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