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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. press — a publisher
  4. craft — boats
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. craft — a skill
  10. field — for sport
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. press — to push
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. field — a subject
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — for digging

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