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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. object — an aim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. field — for sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. object — a thing
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. object — to protest
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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