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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: lie · kid · wake · field · bank · plane · trunk · swing

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bank — of a river
  3. field — farmland
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. field — a subject
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — for sport
  9. lie — to recline
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. plane — a tool
  13. swing — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bank — for money
  16. swing — to play on
  17. kid — to tease
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kid — child

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