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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. field — farmland
  6. drill — army training
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. key — the most important part
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. key — in music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. key — for a lock
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. field — for sport
  24. mine — belonging to me

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