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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — a subject
  3. land — ground
  4. field — for sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. rest — what's left
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — farmland
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. land — to come down
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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