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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — a lid
  4. object — to protest
  5. cap — a hat
  6. field — a subject
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. object — a thing
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. spring — of water
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — the season
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — a coil
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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