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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: cap · band · deal · drill · fine · mine · field · trunk

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. field — for sport
  3. drill — the tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fine — high quality
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fine — all right
  11. field — a subject
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. field — farmland
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. drill — army training
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cap — of ice
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mine — for digging

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