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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. net — for catching
  6. can — a tin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. perch — the fish
  18. net — in sport
  19. field — for sport
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. can — to be able to
  24. capital — a city

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