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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. spring — the season
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ground — the earth
  10. season — in sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spring — of water
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spring — a coil
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. season — of the year
  22. club — a group
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pound — for dogs

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