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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rest — a break
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. spell — a short time
  10. field — farmland
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — army training
  14. branch — a division
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — a subject
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. drill — the tool

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