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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 124 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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. mug — a face
  3. lean — thin
  4. fall — the season
  5. field — for sport
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. field — farmland
  9. firm — steady
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lean — to bend
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stem — to come from
  21. firm — decided
  22. field — a subject
  23. firm — a company
  24. stem — a stem cell

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