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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: plane · hand · field · trunk · bound · cap · squash · wave

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. field — a subject
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — for sport
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. hand — in cards
  14. field — farmland
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bound — certain
  18. cap — a hat
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cap — of ice
  24. hand — part of the body

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