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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. object — to protest
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. scale — in music
  7. object — an aim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — farmland
  10. object — a thing
  11. field — a subject
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. date — the fruit
  23. safe — out of danger
  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