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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — farmland
  3. spell — a short time
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rest — what's left
  6. current — of water
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — for sport
  11. rest — a break
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. capital — a city
  16. field — a subject
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. prune — to trim
  21. squash — the sport
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. capital — money
  24. squash — the vegetable

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