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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — in sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. field — for sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — of the year
  10. wound — an injury
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. race — humankind
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. craft — a skill
  16. race — a contest
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. field — a subject
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. race — the arms race
  24. prune — to trim

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