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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: bear · pop · cap · field · board · rock · object · foot

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. object — to protest
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rock — a stone
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. board — to get on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. object — an aim
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pop — to visit
  18. object — a thing
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. field — farmland
  21. rock — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cap — of ice

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