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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. field — a subject
  3. object — an aim
  4. field — farmland
  5. present — there
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mug — to rob
  8. season — of the year
  9. clip — a video
  10. field — for sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. present — a gift
  13. bank — of a river
  14. object — to protest
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. mug — a cup
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lean — to bend
  21. object — a thing
  22. bank — for money
  23. season — in sport
  24. present — the time now

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