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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wind — moving air
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. field — farmland
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. field — for sport
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stand — to bear
  12. present — a gift
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rock — music
  17. present — there
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. present — the time now
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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