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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: stick · fall · plane · field · trunk · arm · fan · object

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. object — to protest
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — farmland
  5. fall — the season
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. object — a thing
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — a subject
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fall — to drop
  14. object — an aim
  15. field — for sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fall — to drop
  20. plane — a tool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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