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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. field — a subject
  7. lean — thin
  8. field — farmland
  9. roll — a cake
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. roll — a list
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. field — for sport
  21. chair — a leader
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lean — to bend

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