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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bound — obliged
  5. vault — a safe
  6. field — farmland
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. field — for sport
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — thin
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. field — a subject
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bound — certain
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bound — tied together

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