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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pop — soda
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — to visit
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pop — music
  9. field — for sport
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. current — electric
  12. lean — thin
  13. mate — a friend
  14. current — happening now
  15. field — a subject
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — to bend
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mate — to breed
  23. current — of water
  24. bat — the animal

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