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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stand — to bear
  8. field — farmland
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cell — a phone
  16. field — for sport
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — a subject
  20. lean — thin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mine — an explosive

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