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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. field — for sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. net — after costs
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rash — a series
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — for catching
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rock — music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. net — in sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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