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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: field · row · bowl · bay · pound · season · racket · wind

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. season — of the year
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. row — to paddle
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. field — a subject
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pound — a weight
  18. field — farmland
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — a line
  22. field — for sport
  23. season — in sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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