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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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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. firm — a company
  4. field — farmland
  5. firm — steady
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pass — a permit
  11. firm — decided
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pound — a weight
  16. field — for sport
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pound — for dogs

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