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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · patient · charge · field · trunk · rock · lie · wake

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — for sport
  6. rock — music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. charge — in control
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lie — to recline
  24. charge — a price

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