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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 120 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: trunk · current · lie · content · field · wake · pop · cap

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. content — the amount
  4. pop — music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. current — of water
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — for sport
  19. content — happy
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. cap — of ice
  24. trunk — of a car

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