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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. row — a line
  3. suit — to fit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. race — the arms race
  8. land — ground
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. field — for sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. bear — the animal
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — humankind
  16. prune — to trim
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — to trim
  19. suit — in cards
  20. field — a subject
  21. drill — a practice
  22. race — a contest
  23. row — to paddle
  24. suit — clothes

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