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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — farmland
  3. object — to protest
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. net — in sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. object — an aim
  9. field — for sport
  10. object — a thing
  11. wake — a trail
  12. net — for catching
  13. lean — thin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. field — a subject
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. court — of law
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. net — after costs
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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