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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: field · trunk · plane · content · last · lie · bear · object

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — the amount
  7. last — to go on
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. object — a thing
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. object — an aim
  14. lie — to recline
  15. field — for sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. last — final
  21. object — to protest
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. field — farmland
  24. last — finally

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