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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. drill — a practice
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. drill — army training
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — thin
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rock — music
  22. press — to push
  23. field — for sport
  24. drill — the tool

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