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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 116 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: fan · wave · stand · field · trunk · cap · straw · bark

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cap — a lid
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bark — to shout
  24. field — a subject

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