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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — a subject
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. vault — a safe
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. craft — a skill
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. craft — boats
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. perch — the fish
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. field — farmland
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. perch — for a bird

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