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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. clip — a video
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. field — a subject
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. spring — the season
  11. field — for sport
  12. season — in sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rock — a stone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. spring — a coil
  20. prune — to trim
  21. season — of the year
  22. spring — of water
  23. rock — music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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