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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: bear · ground · trunk · ball · field · roll · firm · tear

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. firm — a company
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ground — crushed
  7. field — a subject
  8. firm — decided
  9. tear — to rip
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. roll — a cake
  12. ball — a great time
  13. field — for sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bear — the animal
  18. firm — steady
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. ground — a position
  21. roll — a list
  22. ball — a dance
  23. field — farmland
  24. bear — the animal

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