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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pop — music
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. prune — to trim
  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