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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. field — for sport
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. rest — a break
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. branch — a division
  16. field — farmland
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. field — a subject
  22. drill — army training
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. drill — the tool

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