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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. lie — to recline
  3. scale — in music
  4. field — a subject
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. track — a song
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. track — to keep track
  15. field — farmland
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. track — a path
  18. cue — a hint
  19. field — for sport
  20. bore — to drill
  21. scale — size or range
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cue — a signal
  24. lie — an untruth

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