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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lean — thin
  3. field — a subject
  4. cold — an illness
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. bank — for money
  11. kick — in football
  12. bank — of a river
  13. current — happening now
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bank — for money
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — not warm

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