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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. track — a path
  5. stem — to come from
  6. field — farmland
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — the season
  9. hand — in cards
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — help
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. field — a subject
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. ruler — for measuring

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