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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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. band — a ring
  5. press — to push
  6. band — a music group
  7. suit — clothes
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. suit — in cards
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rock — music
  13. field — for sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. press — a publisher
  18. hand — help
  19. prune — to trim
  20. suit — to fit
  21. hand — in cards
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rock — a stone
  24. field — farmland

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