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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: face · prune · saw · trunk · swing · hide · field · object

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. object — a thing
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. face — part of the head
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. field — farmland
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. face — to point toward
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. swing — music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. face — to confront

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