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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. field — farmland
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — to breed
  5. firm — a company
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. perch — the fish
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mate — a partner
  12. saw — the tool
  13. firm — steady
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — a friend
  17. firm — decided
  18. field — for sport
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. sharp — clever
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. field — a subject
  24. sharp — exactly

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