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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. field — a subject
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mark — a trace
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rush — hurry
  9. field — for sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — ground
  13. mate — a friend
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. land — a country
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. field — farmland
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — a partner
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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