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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a document
  3. field — farmland
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. field — for sport
  8. tube — a container
  9. land — ground
  10. field — a subject
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. current — electric
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. file — a tool
  15. current — happening now
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. current — of water
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — to come down
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. file — a line of people
  24. land — a country

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