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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. field — for sport
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. band — a ring
  16. race — the arms race
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. bear — the animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. field — farmland

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