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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. field — a subject
  4. row — a line
  5. object — to protest
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. row — to paddle
  8. spring — the season
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — a thing
  11. rock — music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. field — farmland
  16. prune — to trim
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — of water
  19. rule — a law
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rule — government
  23. field — for sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

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