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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hand — in cards
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. season — in sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. field — for sport
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. field — a subject
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. season — of the year
  19. bound — certain
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bear — the animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. leaves — of a tree

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