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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 · plane · trunk · scale · bore · cue · cap · kick

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cap — a lid
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. plane — a tool
  6. kick — in football
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. scale — in music
  9. field — a subject
  10. cue — for pool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bore — to tire
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cue — a signal
  16. field — for sport
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cue — a hint
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. plane — in geometry

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