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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. suit — clothes
  3. fall — the season
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pound — a weight
  9. root — the cause
  10. prune — to trim
  11. suit — to fit
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. root — of a word
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — a subject
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. field — for sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. suit — in cards
  23. root — of a plant
  24. leaves — of a tree

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