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

Word bank: mate · stock · rule · field · rush · lean · rest · face

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stock — goods
  9. mate — a partner
  10. face — to point toward
  11. field — for sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. face — part of the head
  14. field — a subject
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. face — to confront
  17. rule — a law
  18. lean — thin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stock — shares
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. rule — government
  24. mate — to breed

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