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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. firm — decided
  3. hand — help
  4. field — for sport
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. firm — a company
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. row — a line
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. field — a subject
  20. firm — steady
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. branch — a division
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. field — farmland

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