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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 116 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — for sport
  5. dip — to sink
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rock — a stone
  8. can — a tin
  9. row — a line
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rock — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. field — a subject
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. field — farmland
  20. bass — low music
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bass — the fish
  24. coach — a trainer

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