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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: field · current · hide · suit · bark · stick · can · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. current — happening now
  3. field — for sport
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. suit — in cards
  9. field — farmland
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bark — to shout
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. current — electric
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. current — of water
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. field — a subject

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