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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 116 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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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: cell · trunk · race · mouse · fall · field · mate · racket

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fall — the season
  3. cell — a phone
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. field — farmland
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. race — a contest
  11. cell — in biology
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — humankind
  18. mate — to breed
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mouse — the animal

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