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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lean — thin
  3. rock — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. field — farmland
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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