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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 124 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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 — a subject
  2. fall — to drop
  3. field — farmland
  4. fall — the season
  5. bass — low music
  6. hand — help
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pop — music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. saw — the tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mouse — the animal
  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