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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. season — in sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — farmland
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fall — the season
  7. bound — certain
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bound — obliged
  23. field — a subject
  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