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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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. track — a path
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. charge — in control
  9. field — a subject
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. track — a song
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. field — farmland
  20. charge — a price
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wake — a trail

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