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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. field — farmland
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. prune — to trim
  11. present — the time now
  12. field — a subject
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. field — for sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. present — a gift

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