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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: roll · racket · field · clip · object · wax · drill · straw

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. drill — the tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. clip — for paper
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. drill — a practice
  7. object — an aim
  8. roll — a list
  9. clip — a video
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. roll — a cake
  16. clip — to cut
  17. field — a subject
  18. drill — army training
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. field — farmland
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. object — a thing
  24. racket — for tennis

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