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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. field — for sport
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. row — a line
  5. field — farmland
  6. object — a thing
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. object — an aim
  10. present — a gift
  11. object — to protest
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. branch — a division
  15. present — the time now
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. row — to paddle
  18. present — there
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. drill — the tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. drill — army training

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