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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rule — a law
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. current — of water
  8. field — for sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. swing — music
  12. fine — all right
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. current — happening now
  16. rule — government
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — electric
  22. field — a subject
  23. swing — in golf
  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