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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 120 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: kick · arm · root · ball · row · field · lash · drill

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. ball — a great time
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. field — farmland
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. row — a line
  9. drill — a practice
  10. row — to paddle
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. drill — army training
  16. root — the cause
  17. ball — a dance
  18. kick — in football
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. root — of a word
  23. field — a subject
  24. kick — with a leg

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