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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. field — farmland
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lean — thin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. kick — in football
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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