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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. field — a subject
  3. root — of a word
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. field — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bank — for money
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. root — the cause
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. field — farmland
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wind — moving air

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