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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: arm · cabinet · field · lean · cap · pound · spring · lie

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. field — for sport
  17. spring — of water
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lean — thin
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cap — a hat
  22. spring — the season
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pound — a weight

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