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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. field — a subject
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rash — a series
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. prune — to trim
  13. field — for sport
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rash — hasty
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. field — farmland
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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