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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: foot · stem · game · lean · fall · safe · field · tear

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fall — the season
  3. foot — a measure
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. tear — from crying
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. field — a subject
  11. lean — thin
  12. field — farmland
  13. tear — from crying
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fall — to drop
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. field — for sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stem — a stem cell

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