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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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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: spring · field · court · firm · stick · spell · kid · lean

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. field — a subject
  5. spring — the season
  6. firm — steady
  7. spring — of water
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — thin
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. firm — a company
  15. field — for sport
  16. spell — letters
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. spell — magic
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lean — to bend
  22. court — for sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. firm — decided

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