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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: drill · face · pop · field · rest · trunk · stand · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — for sport
  8. stand — to bear
  9. field — a subject
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — a break
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. face — to confront
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pop — music
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pop — to visit
  20. field — farmland
  21. drill — army training
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pop — soda
  24. face — to point toward

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