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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. prune — to trim
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rash — hasty
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. roll — a list
  12. squash — the sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. field — farmland
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rash — a series
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. field — for sport

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