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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — to keep track
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stand — to bear
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. track — a path
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. field — a subject
  14. track — a song
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. field — for sport
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. field — farmland
  24. saw — the tool

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