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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. stand — to bear
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. field — for sport
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. press — to push
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. field — a subject
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. file — a document

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