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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. field — a subject
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bore — to tire
  8. field — farmland
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bound — certain
  13. scale — in music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bore — to drill
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — a stick
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bound — tied together
  24. scale — size or range

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