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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
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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: chip · field · trunk · face · object · tear · rock · game

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. face — to point toward
  5. object — to protest
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chip — to eat
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. field — a subject
  12. chip — for betting
  13. face — to confront
  14. field — for sport
  15. tear — to rip
  16. object — an aim
  17. rock — a stone
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — music
  20. game — a match
  21. face — part of the head
  22. tear — from crying
  23. object — a thing
  24. trunk — of a tree

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