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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. field — for sport
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stem — to come from
  5. kid — child
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. field — a subject
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. lean — thin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chair — a leader
  24. vault — a safe

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