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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. field — a subject
  7. prune — to trim
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. field — farmland
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. field — for sport

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