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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stand — to bear
  3. prune — to trim
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — after costs
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — a subject
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — for catching
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. prune — the fruit

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