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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. band — a ring
  9. march — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. bore — to drill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. field — farmland
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chip — to eat
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. march — the month
  23. field — a subject
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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