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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stand — to bear
  3. object — an aim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — for sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. prune — to trim
  8. club — a group
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. club — for dancing
  11. object — a thing
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — farmland
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. object — to protest
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. club — for golf
  24. field — a subject

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