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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: row · straw · present · bowl · field · cell

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. present — the time now
  2. row — to paddle
  3. field — for sport
  4. cell — a phone
  5. row — a line
  6. present — a gift
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. field — farmland
  9. present — there
  10. cell — in biology
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  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