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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: can · coach · tear · mouse · calf · plane · trunk · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. plane — a tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — for sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. field — a subject
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. tear — from crying
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. tear — to rip
  24. coach — a trainer

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