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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — the season
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. track — a song
  9. spell — magic
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spring — of water
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. track — a path
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. field — for sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — a subject

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