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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lean — to bend
  10. root — the cause
  11. field — for sport
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. field — farmland
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. root — of a word
  17. bound — obliged
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rash — a series
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bound — certain
  24. lean — to rest against

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