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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: trunk · file · ruler · stem · mouse · season · field · spring

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. file — a line of people
  5. field — for sport
  6. spring — the season
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. field — a subject
  18. file — a tool
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. file — a document
  23. season — in sport
  24. stem — to come from

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