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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wound — an injury
  4. foot — a measure
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rash — a series
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wound — an injury
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bank — for money
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bank — for money
  19. field — farmland
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bank — of a river
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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