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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pound — a weight
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. field — for sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to click
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rest — a break
  9. present — a gift
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — a subject
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rest — what's left
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. capital — a city
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. capital — money

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