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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 lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — crushed
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — a position
  12. field — a subject
  13. bore — to tire
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rush — hurry

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