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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. field — farmland
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. field — for sport
  7. rest — a break
  8. ground — the earth
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ground — crushed
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lean — to bend
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stem — to come from
  21. field — a subject
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ground — a position
  24. lean — to rest against

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