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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bulb — for light
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — a hat
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cap — of ice
  17. field — farmland
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. field — a subject
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cap — a lid
  23. field — for sport
  24. fork — to eat with

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