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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stock — shares
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stock — goods
  8. swing — music
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — a subject
  15. lean — thin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. rest — a break
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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