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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spell — a short time
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. deal — to handle
  5. scale — size or range
  6. craft — boats
  7. spell — magic
  8. stock — shares
  9. field — farmland
  10. lean — thin
  11. field — for sport
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stock — goods
  15. can — a tin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. spell — letters
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. field — a subject
  21. scale — in music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. can — a tin
  24. deal — an agreement

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