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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. field — a subject
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. field — for sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. can — a tin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. swing — to play on
  11. can — a tin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lean — thin
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. swing — in golf
  17. can — to be able to
  18. field — farmland
  19. swing — music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pound — to hit hard

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