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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: leaves · fork · patient · field · hand · trunk · saw · cabinet

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. field — farmland
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. hand — help
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — for sport
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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