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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. march — music
  7. present — there
  8. field — a subject
  9. present — the time now
  10. rush — hurry
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lean — to bend
  13. march — the month
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. present — a gift
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. lean — to rest against

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