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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — clothes
  6. field — a subject
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. press — newspapers
  10. current — happening now
  11. field — farmland
  12. bark — to shout
  13. suit — to fit
  14. current — of water
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. press — to push
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. current — electric
  23. press — a publisher
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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