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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · stick · lean · fan · field · cabinet · trunk · squash

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rule — government
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lean — thin
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lean — to bend
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. field — for sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rule — a law
  23. field — farmland
  24. lean — to rest against

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