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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — obliged
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — farmland
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bound — tied together
  10. field — for sport
  11. lean — thin
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. snap — to click
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bound — certain
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. wake — a trail
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. prune — to trim

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