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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 120 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: fine · rest · press · mine · field · club · trunk · stick

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fine — all right
  4. club — for dancing
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. club — a group
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rest — a break
  9. club — for golf
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. press — to push
  13. field — a subject
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. press — a publisher
  18. field — farmland
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mine — for digging

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