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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · spell · field · rash · pit · kick · mouse · prune

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pit — in a race
  3. spell — letters
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. field — farmland
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rash — hasty
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pit — a hole
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rash — a series
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lean — thin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — magic
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. kick — in football
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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