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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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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: hide · stem · last · field · lean · bulb · rash · net

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stem — to come from
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — final
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — for light
  18. field — a subject
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. lean — to bend
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. last — finally

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