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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · field · wave · stick · band · pit

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pit — in a race
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. band — a ring
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. band — a music group
  9. pit — a hole
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. field — farmland
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. field — a subject

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