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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. pound — a weight
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — to bend
  15. field — farmland
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — for sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — a subject
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rash — a series

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