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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: stick · fan · wound · coach · charge · sharp · field · trunk

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. field — farmland
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. charge — in control
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. charge — a price
  22. field — for sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. coach — a trainer

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