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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · lean · club · chest · trunk · hand · stand · bowl

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chest — a box
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. chest — of your body
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hand — help
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. club — for golf
  13. lean — thin
  14. field — a subject
  15. lean — to bend
  16. club — a group
  17. chest — of your body
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. field — farmland
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stand — to bear
  24. trunk — of a car

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