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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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. field — for sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fork — in a road
  8. field — farmland
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. field — a subject

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