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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: land · racket · cabinet · kick · pound · field · temple · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. field — a subject
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pound — a weight
  23. land — ground
  24. kick — in football

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