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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. spring — of water
  3. field — farmland
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. board — to get on
  10. spring — the season
  11. field — for sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. key — the most important part
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mate — a friend
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. key — in music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. board — a committee
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mate — to breed
  24. board — a flat piece

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