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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — a subject
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mug — a face
  7. lean — to bend
  8. squash — to crush
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mug — a cup
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. field — farmland
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. field — for sport
  23. lean — thin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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