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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: field · wound · hand · bat · suit · stand · trunk · safe

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stand — to bear
  3. hand — in cards
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. field — for sport
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hand — help
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wound — an injury
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. suit — in cards
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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