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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. field — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. press — to push
  16. field — a subject
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. can — a tin
  24. wave — with your hand

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