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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rest — what's left
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — for sport
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rest — a break
  10. field — a subject
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — farmland
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. face — to confront
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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