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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — a subject
  10. pit — in a race
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pit — a hole
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lean — thin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rash — on the skin

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