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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: key · calf · racket · field · arm · tear · mouse · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. key — the most important part
  5. field — farmland
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tear — from crying
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. key — in music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — a subject
  22. key — for a lock
  23. field — for sport
  24. tear — to rip

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