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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · field · cue · stick · cap · lean · charge · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. cue — a signal
  5. field — for sport
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cap — a hat
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. charge — in control
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. lean — thin
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. field — farmland
  24. lean — to bend

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