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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. band — a ring
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — the time now
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. band — a music group
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — to trim
  13. field — a subject
  14. present — a gift
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bank — of a river
  17. present — there
  18. bank — for money
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bank — for money
  21. field — for sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. band — a rubber band

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