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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. field — for sport
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. field — a subject
  12. rash — a series
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. field — farmland
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lean — to bend
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. prune — the fruit

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