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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bass — the fish
  3. field — for sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — low music
  15. lean — to bend
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fall — the season
  18. lean — thin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. field — farmland
  24. wind — to turn a key

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