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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · drill · bay · calf · pop · rest · row · field

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pop — to visit
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pop — soda
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. drill — army training
  10. field — for sport
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. row — a line
  13. drill — the tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pop — music
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. land — to come down
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rest — a break

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