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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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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: leaves · lean · stock · cabinet · prune · field · snap · drill

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. field — farmland
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. field — a subject
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to click
  7. drill — army training
  8. lean — thin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lean — to bend
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. drill — the tool
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stock — goods
  21. field — for sport
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — a practice

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