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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: pop · wind · roll · field · leaves · tear · object · rock

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. tear — to rip
  6. object — an aim
  7. wind — moving air
  8. field — farmland
  9. object — to protest
  10. roll — a cake
  11. rock — a stone
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. roll — a list
  17. field — a subject
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tear — from crying
  21. object — a thing
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. field — for sport

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