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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cue — for pool
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. suit — to fit
  8. chest — of your body
  9. suit — clothes
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — in sport
  12. chest — a box
  13. field — for sport
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cue — a hint
  19. season — of the year
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. foot — a measure
  23. lean — thin
  24. cue — a signal

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