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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bark · lean · field · scale · bulb · press · rash

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. field — farmland
  7. lean — thin
  8. press — newspapers
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. field — a subject
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — hasty
  15. press — to push
  16. scale — in music
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. field — for sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — a publisher
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rash — a series

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