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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. degree — an amount
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — of the year
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. field — farmland
  15. prune — to trim
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. saw — the tool
  19. degree — from a university
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a tool
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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