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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 124 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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. field — farmland
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ball — a great time
  5. field — a subject
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — rain
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — a hole
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ball — a dance
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pound — a weight
  22. field — for sport
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pound — for dogs

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