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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — a thing
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. present — a gift
  5. wind — moving air
  6. field — a subject
  7. object — to protest
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pop — music
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pop — to visit
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. present — there
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. object — an aim
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stand — to bear
  23. present — the time now
  24. tube — a container

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