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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: ball · row · lean · nail · wave · field · mark · chair

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lean — thin
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ball — a great time
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. field — farmland
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. field — for sport
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mark — a grade
  17. field — a subject
  18. row — to paddle
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. row — a line

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