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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. tube — a container
  3. spell — magic
  4. drill — army training
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. field — farmland
  7. tear — from crying
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. tube — the underground
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spell — a short time
  15. field — for sport
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. tear — to rip
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. toast — bread

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