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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. pound — a weight
  4. field — a subject
  5. mug — a cup
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. band — a music group
  9. mug — to rob
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. foot — a measure
  13. band — a ring
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. clip — a video
  16. field — for sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mug — a face
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. clip — for paper
  22. field — farmland
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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