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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: pop · lean · march · row · field · fork · vault · mine

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pop — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. field — farmland
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lean — to bend
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. field — for sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pop — soda
  23. row — a line
  24. lean — thin

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