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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rest — a break
  3. field — for sport
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. field — a subject
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. face — part of the head
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. object — an aim
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fall — to drop
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. face — to confront
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. face — to point toward
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — an explosive

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