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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. land — to come down
  3. file — a document
  4. field — farmland
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. spell — magic
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — a short time
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. file — a line of people
  17. land — a country
  18. bore — to tire
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bore — to drill
  21. file — a tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spell — letters
  24. pitcher — a jug

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