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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. field — a subject
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bank — of a river
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mark — a grade
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bank — for money
  18. mark — a trace
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — for money
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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