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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 slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. root — the cause
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. field — farmland
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. plane — a tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lean — thin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — for sport
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — a subject
  19. root — of a word
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. plane — in geometry

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