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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: tear · trunk · snap · rush · field · stand · chip · ball

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. snap — to click
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. stand — to bear
  12. field — a subject
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ball — a dance
  20. field — for sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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