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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: mark · toast · present · game · tear · field · fall · trunk

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fall — to drop
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mark — a trace
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mark — a grade
  15. toast — bread
  16. present — a gift
  17. field — farmland
  18. fall — the season
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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