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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. field — farmland
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lean — thin
  8. capital — money
  9. rest — a break
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. can — a tin
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. field — a subject
  14. rest — what's left
  15. foot — a measure
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bass — low music
  18. capital — a city
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — a tin
  22. bass — the fish
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. field — for sport

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