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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. scale — in music
  5. toast — bread
  6. field — for sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. field — a subject
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. prune — to trim
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. field — farmland
  18. wound — an injury
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mouse — the animal

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