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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bore — to tire
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — a subject
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — farmland
  13. wax — to grow
  14. band — a ring
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. band — a music group
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bore — to drill
  24. field — for sport

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