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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. hand — help
  3. club — for golf
  4. field — for sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. key — the most important part
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — a subject
  14. prune — to trim
  15. charge — in control
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — for a lock
  18. charge — a price
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. key — in music
  22. charge — electricity
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spring — of water

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