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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. field — farmland
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. face — part of the head
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. face — to point toward
  14. field — for sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. face — to confront
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. lean — thin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. wound — an injury

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