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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mark — a trace
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. field — a subject
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — a law
  13. saw — the tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rule — government
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. field — farmland

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