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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitch — completely
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — in sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pop — soda
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pop — music
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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