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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: net · press · spell · field · lean · kick · pitcher · coach

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spell — a short time
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. press — to push
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. lean — thin
  8. net — after costs
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kick — in football
  13. field — for sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. net — for catching
  23. press — newspapers
  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