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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 slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fine — all right
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — for sport
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. lean — thin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mark — a trace
  21. kick — in football
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bank — for money

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