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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 seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. clip — to cut
  3. field — a subject
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. clip — a video
  6. field — for sport
  7. object — a thing
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. suit — in cards
  13. last — to go on
  14. suit — clothes
  15. object — to protest
  16. bore — to tire
  17. clip — for paper
  18. object — an aim
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. last — finally
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. last — final
  24. pop — soda

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