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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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Word bank
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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. field — for sport
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rock — a stone
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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