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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stand — to bear
  16. rush — hurry
  17. band — a ring
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pass — a permit
  21. field — for sport
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. face — to confront

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