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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. press — to push
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. field — farmland
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — for sport
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rock — music
  12. kick — in football
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fall — the season
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fall — to drop

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