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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: key · toast · trunk · ruler · wound · field · stand · bear

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bear — the animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. field — for sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stand — to bear
  9. key — the most important part
  10. field — farmland
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. key — in music
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — a subject
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. ruler — for measuring

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