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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spring — a coil
  5. field — for sport
  6. swing — music
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lean — thin
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. field — farmland
  15. swing — in golf
  16. track — a song
  17. lean — to bend
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stem — to come from
  24. track — a path

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