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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: kick · ball · pound · object · roll · tear · field · leaves

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. object — an aim
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. field — farmland
  5. object — to protest
  6. field — for sport
  7. kick — in football
  8. ball — a great time
  9. roll — a list
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. roll — a cake
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ball — a dance
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. object — a thing
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. tear — from crying

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