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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · file · calf · spring · field · bowl · mug · wind

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. file — a document
  3. field — for sport
  4. spring — the season
  5. file — a tool
  6. mug — a face
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. field — farmland
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — to rob
  12. field — a subject
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spring — of water
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. hand — help
  21. mug — a cup
  22. spring — a coil
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bowl — to roll

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