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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 124 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. race — the arms race
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. field — a subject
  7. race — a contest
  8. season — in sport
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. race — humankind
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. face — to confront
  15. field — for sport
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. deal — to handle
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. face — to point toward
  20. season — of the year
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lean — thin
  24. field — farmland

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