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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. spring — a coil
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mug — to rob
  6. present — a gift
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. field — for sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. prune — to trim
  13. field — a subject
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — the season
  16. mug — a face
  17. dip — to sink
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. field — farmland
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. spring — of water
  23. squash — the sport
  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