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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. perch — the fish
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — the season
  5. field — a subject
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. firm — steady
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lie — to recline
  14. spring — of water
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — decided
  17. staff — a stick
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — thin
  20. field — for sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — farmland

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