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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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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 · cabinet · lash · field · kid · wind · bowl · fork

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — for sport
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. roll — a list
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. roll — a cake
  15. field — a subject
  16. kid — child
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. field — farmland
  24. bowl — to roll

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