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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. firm — a company
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pop — soda
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pop — music
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. band — a ring
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. prune — to trim
  11. can — to be able to
  12. band — a music group
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — crushed
  15. can — a tin
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. firm — steady
  18. field — for sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. dip — to sink
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. firm — decided
  24. pop — to visit

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