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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. field — a subject
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. dip — to sink
  5. prune — to trim
  6. field — for sport
  7. kid — child
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bank — of a river
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bank — for money
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bank — for money
  20. kid — to tease
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. field — farmland
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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