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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: snap · lean · field · leaves · wind · object · bore · squash

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. snap — to click
  9. bore — to drill
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bore — to tire
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. object — a thing
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. object — to protest
  21. field — for sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. field — a subject
  24. bore — gave birth

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