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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. field — for sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cap — of ice
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. ground — a position
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cap — a hat
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. field — farmland
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cap — a lid
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. field — a subject
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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