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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spell — a short time
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. prune — to trim
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. field — farmland
  19. spell — letters
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spell — magic
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — to trim

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