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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 120 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. firm — steady
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. can — a tin
  9. firm — decided
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. firm — a company
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — for digging
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lash — an eyelash

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