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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. track — to keep track
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. mug — a face
  12. track — a path
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. track — a song
  17. mug — a cup
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — a stick
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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