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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: object · wind · fan · staff · mouse · band · trunk · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. staff — employees
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. field — for sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a music group
  15. field — farmland
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. object — to protest
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. band — a ring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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