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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — an illness
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lean — thin
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lean — to bend
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — a subject
  20. branch — a division
  21. field — farmland
  22. cold — not warm
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. safe — out of danger

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