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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ground — a position
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rash — a series
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. last — to go on
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — final
  16. ground — crushed
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lean — thin
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. last — finally
  24. calf — of the leg

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