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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. board — to get on
  6. fine — high quality
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — to trim
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. scale — in music
  12. firm — steady
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fine — all right
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. field — a subject

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