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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: kid · coach · ground · wave · firm · foot · cap · field

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. firm — decided
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ground — the earth
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. firm — steady
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. foot — a measure
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. field — a subject
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. ground — a position
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. firm — a company
  23. cap — a lid
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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