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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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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. field — a subject
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. drill — army training
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. drill — a practice
  20. snap — to click
  21. drill — the tool
  22. craft — boats
  23. field — for sport
  24. bay — a horse colour

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