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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. march — the month
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ground — crushed
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. field — a subject
  12. present — there
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. field — for sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. present — the time now
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — the month
  23. present — a gift
  24. march — music

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