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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · spell · foot · field · object · plane · trunk · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. foot — a measure
  3. field — for sport
  4. pop — to visit
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. can — a tin
  8. plane — a tool
  9. object — a thing
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. field — farmland
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. field — a subject
  19. spell — magic
  20. pop — music
  21. can — a tin
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pop — soda
  24. trunk — of a tree

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