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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lean — to bend
  4. band — a ring
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. band — a music group
  14. present — the time now
  15. field — a subject
  16. present — a gift
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lean — thin
  20. present — there
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. deal — to handle
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wound — an injury

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