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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 116 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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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: wake · trunk · land · cap · field · pound · bowl · perch

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pound — a weight
  5. field — a subject
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. land — to come down
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — for sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wake — a trail
  20. land — ground
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — farmland

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