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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wake — a trail
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — for sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. root — the cause
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. march — the month
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. root — of a word
  22. field — a subject
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. saw — 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