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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · kick · foot · field · lean · wind · mark · rash

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. mark — a grade
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. lean — thin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rash — a series
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lean — to bend
  19. field — farmland
  20. kick — in football
  21. field — for sport
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. field — a subject

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