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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: stand · field · safe · mark · tear · lean · roll · degree

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. lean — thin
  5. mark — a grade
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. field — a subject
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stand — to bear
  15. roll — a cake
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mark — a trace
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. roll — a list
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. safe — a strongbox

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