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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. key — the most important part
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. tube — a container
  12. field — a subject
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bulb — for light
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bulb — for light
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. key — in music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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