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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. field — farmland
  7. fork — in a road
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bound — certain
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. field — a subject
  24. bound — obliged

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