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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 116 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 · rule · object · band · straw · ground · chip · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chip — for betting
  4. object — a thing
  5. ground — crushed
  6. object — an aim
  7. band — a ring
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. lean — thin
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rule — government
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. object — to protest
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. band — a music group
  20. ground — a position
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rule — a law

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