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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: cabinet · firm · ball · staff · game · field · spring · trunk

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. firm — decided
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. firm — steady
  6. spring — the season
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — for sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. firm — a company
  12. ball — a dance
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spring — of water
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. field — a subject
  17. game — a match
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. staff — employees
  20. ball — a great time
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. field — farmland
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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