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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — a subject
  3. bass — low music
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. drill — a practice
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. field — for sport
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — farmland
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bass — the instrument

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