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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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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: bowl · fine · trunk · chest · club · field · rash · snap

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. fine — high quality
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chest — of your body
  7. club — for golf
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fine — all right
  16. snap — to click
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. field — for sport
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rash — hasty

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