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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 · field · stem · swing · bear · temple · hide · rock

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. field — for sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — farmland
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lean — thin

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