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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mark — a trace
  8. spring — a coil
  9. field — a subject
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spring — of water
  13. rule — government
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bound — tied together
  16. craft — boats
  17. spring — the season
  18. field — for sport
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bound — certain
  23. fine — high quality
  24. field — farmland

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