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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 116 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: mark · field · season · press · fall · hand · lean · content

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mark — a grade
  3. field — for sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. press — to push
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lean — thin
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fall — the season
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — in sport
  12. press — a publisher
  13. content — happy
  14. hand — help
  15. field — farmland
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. press — newspapers
  20. season — of the year
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lean — to rest against

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