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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. content — the amount
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. race — humankind
  10. staff — employees
  11. race — a contest
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. race — the arms race
  19. prune — to trim
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. field — a subject
  24. content — happy

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