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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. snap — to click
  3. bound — certain
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. field — for sport
  6. land — a country
  7. lean — thin
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. field — a subject
  16. bound — obliged
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. field — farmland
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — to come down
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. land — ground

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