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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: mark · foot · lean · stick · cell · mate · field · lash

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. field — for sport
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mark — a trace
  12. field — a subject
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mate — a friend
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lean — thin
  19. cell — in biology
  20. foot — a measure
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mate — a partner
  23. field — farmland
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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