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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rock — music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. field — a subject
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — to bend
  10. march — the month
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rock — a stone
  14. march — music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lean — thin
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. row — a line
  24. field — farmland

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