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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wake — a trail
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. field — for sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fall — the season
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. field — a subject
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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