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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 124 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — farmland
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. foot — a measure
  5. field — a subject
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — for sport
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. snap — to click
  22. kick — in football
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. coach — a trainer

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