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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: stand · game · field · trunk · club · bore · saw · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. field — farmland
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stand — to bear
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. scale — in music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. club — for golf
  14. scale — size or range
  15. field — for sport
  16. game — a match
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. club — a group
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — to tire
  23. field — a subject
  24. club — for dancing

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