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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: field · racket · rest · toast · lean · shower · bound · wake

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. field — a subject
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. shower — rain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bound — certain
  11. lean — thin
  12. toast — bread
  13. rest — a break
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. field — farmland
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bound — tied together
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. shower — to wash
  24. field — for sport

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