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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: bulb · trunk · file · lean · field · squash · chest · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lean — to bend
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a document
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. squash — the sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bulb — for light
  16. file — a line of people
  17. field — farmland
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. lean — thin
  22. file — a tool
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. field — a subject

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