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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — for sport
  3. drill — a practice
  4. season — of the year
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. spring — of water
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spring — the season
  11. field — a subject
  12. drill — army training
  13. firm — steady
  14. field — farmland
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. lean — thin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. spring — a coil
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. season — in sport
  24. last — final

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