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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. net — after costs
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — farmland
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pound — a weight
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bass — low music
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. field — for sport
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. net — in sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — for catching
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bass — the fish

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