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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. field — for sport
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. field — farmland
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mark — a grade
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mark — a trace
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. prune — to trim

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