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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bound — certain
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — a subject
  8. tube — a container
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. field — farmland
  14. lean — thin
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bound — obliged
  24. arm — part of the body

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