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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. root — of a plant
  3. field — for sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. present — a gift
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fine — all right
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. swing — in golf
  15. root — the cause
  16. bound — tied together
  17. present — there
  18. rush — hurry
  19. field — a subject
  20. present — the time now
  21. bound — obliged
  22. root — of a word
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. swing — to play on

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