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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — farmland
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fall — the season
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. field — for sport
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. capital — a city
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — a subject
  24. fall — to drop

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