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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. field — farmland
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. object — a thing
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. drill — army training
  9. field — for sport
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. field — a subject
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. object — to protest
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. drill — the tool
  18. object — an aim
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. drill — a practice
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wind — moving air

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