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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. board — a committee
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — for sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. scale — in music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rest — what's left
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. dip — to sink
  21. band — a ring
  22. scale — size or range
  23. band — a music group
  24. board — to get on

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