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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lie — to recline
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — electric
  16. field — a subject
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cap — a hat
  19. current — happening now
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — farmland
  22. current — of water
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — the fish

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