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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 · kid · nail · board · arm · ground · toast

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kid — to tease
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ground — a position
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. ground — crushed
  10. board — a committee
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — child
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. board — to get on
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. ground — the earth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. field — for sport
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. field — farmland
  24. trunk — of a car

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