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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. field — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — hasty
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mug — a face
  13. field — a subject
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rash — a series
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mug — to rob
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pit — in a race
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mug — a cup

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