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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. field — for sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. last — finally
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. season — of the year
  15. field — a subject
  16. last — to go on
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — army training
  19. last — final
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bulb — for light
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. season — in sport

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