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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ground — crushed
  3. field — farmland
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ground — a position
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. field — for sport
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. craft — a skill
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. craft — boats
  23. lean — thin
  24. craft — a handicraft

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