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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. field — farmland
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. field — a subject
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — the cause
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rash — a series
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rash — hasty
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. field — for sport
  20. root — of a plant
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. prune — to trim
  24. root — of a word

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