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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 116 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 slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fall — the season
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. can — a tin

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