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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. field — for sport
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. field — farmland
  8. lean — thin
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rash — hasty
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. foot — a measure
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lie — to recline
  19. dip — to sink
  20. field — a subject
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bank — of a river
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — a series

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