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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: staff · pit · trunk · rock · wake · field · cue · rest

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pit — in a race
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rock — music
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cue — for pool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. field — a subject
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — a stick
  19. field — farmland
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. rock — a stone

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