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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. lean — thin
  3. present — there
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. field — for sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. net — in sport
  12. present — the time now
  13. field — farmland
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. field — a subject
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. net — for catching
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. net — after costs
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. present — a gift
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pitcher — a jug

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