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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a ring
  6. lean — thin
  7. field — farmland
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. row — a line
  16. field — a subject
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. field — for sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fork — in a road

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