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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 are growing on this ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rest — a break
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wound — an injury
  7. present — a gift
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — an injury
  13. squash — the sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. snap — to click
  22. squash — to crush
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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