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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. bank — of a river
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to bend
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bank — for money
  8. drill — army training
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. current — of water
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. field — for sport
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. field — farmland
  23. drill — the tool
  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