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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. root — the cause
  7. mug — a cup
  8. root — of a word
  9. dip — to sink
  10. field — for sport
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. wind — moving air
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. field — farmland
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fall — to drop
  21. drill — army training
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fall — the season

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