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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rock — a stone
  4. field — farmland
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cell — in biology
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mate — a friend
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. cell — a phone
  20. field — for sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — to sink
  23. field — a subject
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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