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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: trunk · race · wound · fork · lean · field · bound · spell

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. spell — magic
  5. bound — certain
  6. spell — a short time
  7. field — for sport
  8. race — a contest
  9. bound — tied together
  10. lean — to bend
  11. field — a subject
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — obliged
  16. spell — letters
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. race — humankind
  23. lean — thin
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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