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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 120 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: spring · coach · stick · can · field · fall · stem · trunk

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. field — farmland
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stem — to come from
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fall — to drop
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. can — a tin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spring — of water
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. spring — the season
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. field — a subject
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fall — the season
  22. can — a tin
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. field — for sport

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