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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. root — the cause
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fall — to drop
  5. band — a music group
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. band — a ring
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lean — thin
  15. field — a subject
  16. root — of a word
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. root — of a plant
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fall — the season

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