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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. field — a subject
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — to crush
  5. season — of the year
  6. field — farmland
  7. squash — the sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pass — a permit
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. field — for sport
  23. season — in sport
  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