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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. spring — a coil
  3. firm — decided
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. prune — to trim
  7. race — the arms race
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. race — a contest
  10. prune — to trim
  11. firm — steady
  12. race — humankind
  13. firm — a company
  14. charge — electricity
  15. spring — of water
  16. row — to paddle
  17. spring — the season
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. row — a line

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