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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 · present · track · board · field · race · object · wind

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. field — a subject
  3. board — a committee
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — a song
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wind — moving air
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. race — the arms race
  10. present — there
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. field — for sport
  13. race — humankind
  14. board — to get on
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. present — the time now
  17. track — a path
  18. object — to protest
  19. race — a contest
  20. object — a thing
  21. track — to keep track
  22. present — a gift
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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