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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lean — thin
  3. charge — a price
  4. object — to protest
  5. firm — decided
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lean — to bend
  8. charge — electricity
  9. object — an aim
  10. spring — the season
  11. field — farmland
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. firm — steady
  16. charge — in control
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. firm — a company
  20. spring — of water
  21. field — for sport
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. object — a thing

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