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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mark — a trace
  6. field — for sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ball — a great time
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mark — a grade
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — to trim
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. drill — army training
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. rock — a stone
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. drill — a practice
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. field — a subject
  23. rock — music
  24. ball — a dance

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