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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. field — farmland
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. bore — to drill
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. field — a subject
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. field — for sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. spring — the season
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. spring — of water
  23. firm — decided
  24. wound — an injury

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