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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 · trunk · mine · bowl · squash · mark · spring · roll

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. roll — a cake
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. field — a subject
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. roll — a list
  12. mark — a trace
  13. spring — the season
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. field — for sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. squash — the sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. field — farmland
  23. mark — a grade
  24. spring — a coil

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