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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. field — for sport
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hand — help
  6. lean — to bend
  7. field — farmland
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lie — to recline
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lean — thin
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. squash — to crush
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bass — low music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — a subject

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