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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  3. pound — a weight
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. date — the fruit
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cap — a lid
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. bank — for money
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bank — for money
  22. lean — thin
  23. bank — of a river
  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