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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — a partner
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. clip — a video
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. field — farmland
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mate — a friend
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spring — a coil
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. clip — for paper
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. prune — the fruit

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