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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: saw · lean · chest · pass · trunk · clip · fan · field

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — a box
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. clip — for paper
  6. field — a subject
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. field — farmland
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. field — for sport
  15. clip — to cut
  16. chest — of your body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. clip — a video
  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