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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
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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: drill · leaves · field · straw · foot · march · wound · staff

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. field — for sport
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. drill — the tool
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. field — farmland
  8. wound — an injury
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. march — music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. foot — a measure
  14. staff — employees
  15. drill — a practice
  16. staff — a stick
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. field — a subject
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — the month

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