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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 propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. file — a line of people
  5. prune — to trim
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. file — a document
  12. fine — high quality
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fine — all right
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. field — a subject
  18. toast — bread
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. file — a tool
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fine — a penalty

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