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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 · kick · field · roll · press · mate · straw · stand

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lean — to bend
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mate — to breed
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mate — a partner
  8. roll — a list
  9. field — farmland
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. press — newspapers
  12. roll — a cake
  13. lean — thin
  14. kick — in football
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stand — to bear
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. press — a publisher
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mate — a friend
  24. press — to push

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