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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. field — for sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. prune — to trim
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. key — for a lock
  7. root — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. root — of a word
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. season — of the year
  15. root — the cause
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. key — in music
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wax — to grow
  21. field — farmland
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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