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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. field — farmland
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. shower — rain
  9. lean — thin
  10. field — a subject
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — hasty
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. season — of the year
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. season — in sport
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. field — for sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  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