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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cue — for pool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — wild animals
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rest — a break
  15. field — for sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. branch — a division
  18. can — a tin
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rest — what's left

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