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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. deal — to handle
  5. field — a subject
  6. march — music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. field — farmland
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pound — a weight
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. field — for sport
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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