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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. field — a subject
  3. prune — to trim
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. object — to protest
  6. current — happening now
  7. court — of law
  8. field — farmland
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — for sport
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. tube — the underground
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. prune — to trim
  17. court — of a king
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. object — an aim
  21. field — for sport
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. object — a thing
  24. racket — a loud noise

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