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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 124 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — a subject
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. prune — to trim
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pop — music
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pop — soda
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bore — to tire

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