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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. track — to keep track
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. track — a path
  6. lean — thin
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. field — farmland
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. can — a tin
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. track — a song
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. field — for sport
  20. pound — a weight
  21. field — a subject
  22. object — a thing
  23. drill — army training
  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