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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. land — to come down
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. field — for sport
  9. land — a country
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — ground
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. field — a subject
  20. band — a ring
  21. can — to be able to
  22. field — farmland
  23. can — a tin
  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