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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pop — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. bank — for money
  5. season — of the year
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mug — a face
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. season — in sport
  12. drill — army training
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pop — soda
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mug — to rob
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bank — for money
  21. bark — to shout
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. drill — the tool

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