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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. spring — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. track — a path
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cap — a lid
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cap — of ice
  15. spring — of water
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cap — a hat
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rock — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — farmland
  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