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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · cap · trunk · straw · hand · field · mug · toast

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. field — for sport
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — farmland
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cap — of ice
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. hand — help
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hand — in cards
  13. toast — bread
  14. field — a subject
  15. mug — to rob
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mug — a face
  21. cap — a lid
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lie — to recline
  24. straw — dry grass

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