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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. season — of the year
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. field — farmland
  5. craft — a skill
  6. field — a subject
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — for sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pound — a weight
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — in sport
  17. lean — thin
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. craft — boats
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. perch — the fish
  24. season — to add flavour

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