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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: jam · straw · object · field · trunk · fan · bowl · shower

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. field — a subject
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. object — a thing
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. shower — rain
  8. field — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. object — an aim
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. shower — to wash
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. field — farmland
  24. fan — to cool the 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