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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. field — farmland
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rush — hurry
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mug — a face
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. squash — to crush
  15. field — a subject
  16. mug — a cup
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. branch — a division
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. squash — the 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