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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: row · pit · foot · roll · rock · craft · bound · field

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. rock — music
  3. field — for sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bound — certain
  6. field — farmland
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pit — a hole
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pit — in a race
  13. row — a line
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bound — tied together
  16. field — a subject
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. craft — boats
  20. roll — a list
  21. rock — a stone
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. craft — a skill
  24. foot — a measure

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