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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — for sport
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. field — a subject
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. field — farmland
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — for catching
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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