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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. field — a subject
  4. ground — a position
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — for sport
  9. ground — the earth
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. squash — to crush
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. can — to be able to
  24. prune — to trim

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