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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 120 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: foot · clip · wave · bound · rush · row · field · land

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — obliged
  6. field — for sport
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rush — hurry
  10. land — ground
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bound — certain
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. field — a subject
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. clip — a video
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bound — tied together

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