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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — electric
  5. field — farmland
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stand — to bear
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. field — for sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. tear — from crying
  18. current — of water
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. current — happening now
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stand — on your feet

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