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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — of the year
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. bark — to shout
  6. object — to protest
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. season — in sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. field — for sport
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. stand — to bear
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. object — a thing
  18. field — a subject
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a ring
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. prune — to trim
  24. object — an aim

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