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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: fall · field · hide · rush · bound · foot · straw · sharp

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rush — hurry
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fall — the season
  16. bound — obliged
  17. field — a subject
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — to drop

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