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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bound — certain
  3. can — a tin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. squash — to crush
  7. field — farmland
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. field — a subject
  16. squash — the sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. field — for sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ruler — for measuring

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