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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. shower — rain
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. row — a line
  6. field — farmland
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. object — a thing
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — for sport
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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