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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. field — for sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. firm — steady
  8. chip — for betting
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. field — farmland
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — after costs
  15. wake — a trail
  16. firm — a company
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fork — in a road
  20. field — a subject
  21. prune — to trim
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. chip — in a computer

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