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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pop — music
  3. mug — a face
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — a subject
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mug — a cup
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — to visit
  17. field — for sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — soda
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bound — certain
  24. ruler — for measuring

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