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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. charge — in control
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pit — in a race
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. charge — a price
  19. craft — boats
  20. charge — electricity
  21. field — for sport
  22. wax — to grow
  23. field — a subject
  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