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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. field — for sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. squash — the sport
  9. current — of water
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fall — the season
  13. swing — in golf
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. current — electric
  19. swing — music
  20. current — happening now
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — a subject
  24. season — of the year

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