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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. field — farmland
  4. spring — of water
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spring — a coil
  9. lean — to bend
  10. field — a subject
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. deal — to handle
  13. field — for sport
  14. lean — thin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. track — a path
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. spring — the season

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