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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: cell · cold · ruler · wound · present · leaves · trunk · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. present — there
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. present — a gift
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cell — a phone
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. present — the time now
  24. leaves — to go away

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