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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. craft — boats
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rock — a stone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bass — low music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — a subject
  19. cell — a phone
  20. saw — the tool
  21. craft — a skill
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. field — for sport
  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