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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — farmland
  4. bank — for money
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. field — a subject
  8. net — after costs
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. field — for sport
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. net — in sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lean — thin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bank — of a river
  21. net — for catching
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fork — in a road

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