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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. file — a tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — a subject
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — farmland
  7. rest — a break
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. file — a document
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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