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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. field — for sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. field — farmland
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rock — a stone
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. season — of the year
  14. field — a subject
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rock — music
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — in a road
  21. prune — to trim
  22. file — a document
  23. season — in sport
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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