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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lean — thin
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. field — farmland
  16. firm — decided
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. field — for sport
  23. firm — a company
  24. hand — help

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