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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. field — farmland
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lean — to bend
  18. track — a path
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — for sport
  23. tube — a container
  24. lean — thin

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