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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cap — of ice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. drill — a practice
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. drill — army training
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pound — a weight
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bat — the animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wave — of the sea

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