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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. field — farmland
  4. fine — high quality
  5. field — a subject
  6. wind — moving air
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. charge — a price
  10. field — for sport
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rush — hurry
  13. root — of a plant
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. root — of a word
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. charge — in control
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lean — thin
  23. root — the cause
  24. lean — to bend

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