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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. club — for dancing
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. club — a group
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rush — hurry
  12. row — a line
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — for sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. club — for golf
  17. face — to point toward
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. face — part of the head
  22. prune — to trim
  23. face — to confront
  24. rush — to hurry

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