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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — of a river
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lean — thin
  5. bank — for money
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lean — to bend
  10. field — for sport
  11. face — to confront
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — a position
  14. field — farmland
  15. cold — not warm
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. face — to point toward
  19. field — a subject
  20. ground — the earth
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. racket — a loud noise

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