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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 120 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: stick · cap · trunk · fan · present · stem · field · dip

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. field — farmland
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. present — a gift
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. present — the time now
  10. stem — to come from
  11. present — there
  12. field — a subject
  13. cap — a hat
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. dip — to sink
  20. field — for sport
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — a sauce

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