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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: lean · arm · perch · mine · hide · field · fall · foot

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. field — farmland
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — a subject
  13. fall — the season
  14. perch — the fish
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lean — to bend
  23. foot — a measure
  24. hide — animal skin

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