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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. track — a path
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. charge — a price
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. charge — in control
  11. track — a song
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pitch — completely
  16. field — a subject
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hand — help
  23. field — for sport
  24. stem — to come from

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