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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: lean · deal · cabinet · pop · straw · jam · field · calf

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pop — soda
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. field — a subject
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lean — to bend
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. pop — music
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lean — thin
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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