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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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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: fall · trunk · drill · mate · cue · lie · stand · field

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. drill — army training
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mate — to breed
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fall — the season
  7. cue — for pool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cue — a signal
  10. field — a subject
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cue — a hint
  16. field — farmland
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. field — for sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mate — a partner
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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