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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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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: ground · fall · roll · trunk · pitch · leaves · can · field

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pitch — completely
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fall — to drop
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — the earth
  7. field — a subject
  8. ground — a position
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. field — for sport
  14. roll — a cake
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. can — to be able to
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. pitch — a sports field

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