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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 120 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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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 · vault · field · arm · kid · cell · can · swing

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. lean — to bend
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. kid — to tease
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lean — thin
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kid — child
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. swing — in golf
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. can — to be able to
  18. field — a subject
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — farmland
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. swing — music
  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