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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. hand — help
  4. pass — a permit
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. field — for sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. field — a subject
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. cap — of ice
  20. lean — thin
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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