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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. field — for sport
  4. stem — to come from
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. field — a subject
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. field — farmland
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. plane — a tool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bore — to drill
  24. plane — in geometry

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