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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: press · field · bat · foot · fall · bound · can · bear

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. field — farmland
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. field — for sport
  6. bound — certain
  7. can — a tin
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. field — a subject
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. fall — the season
  20. bound — tied together
  21. press — to push
  22. fall — to drop
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bat — for baseball

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