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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. spell — magic
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spell — a short time
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — letters
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — for sport
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bore — to drill
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bay — a horse colour

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