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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: rest · tear · field · trunk · board · swing · spring · squash

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. squash — to crush
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rest — a break
  6. swing — music
  7. spring — of water
  8. field — for sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — a committee
  11. spring — the season
  12. tear — to rip
  13. field — a subject
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spring — a coil
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — in golf
  20. field — farmland
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — to get on
  24. squash — the 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