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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.

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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. squash — the sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. bound — tied together
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lean — thin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. field — a subject
  14. mine — for digging
  15. squash — to crush
  16. kick — in football
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fall — the season
  23. field — for sport
  24. bound — certain

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