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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 that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rule — a law
  7. mug — to rob
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rule — government
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. branch — a division
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — a subject
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

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