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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. object — a thing
  5. fall — the season
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — a stone
  8. field — a subject
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fall — to drop
  13. root — of a plant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. root — the cause
  16. object — an aim
  17. row — a line
  18. rock — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. object — to protest
  22. root — of a word
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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