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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — in sport
  3. staff — a stick
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — employees
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. snap — to click
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — of the year
  13. field — for sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. field — a subject
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. content — the amount
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. content — happy
  23. staff — employees
  24. saw — the tool

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