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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — a subject
  5. fine — high quality
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spring — of water
  12. fine — all right
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. field — farmland
  18. spring — the season
  19. field — for sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. spring — a coil
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ruler — for measuring

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