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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — a subject
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mug — to rob
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — farmland
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — for sport
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. fall — the season
  24. mug — a face

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