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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · field · rock · object · date · spell · prune · mouse

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. content — happy
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. date — the fruit
  9. field — for sport
  10. object — an aim
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. content — the amount
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rock — music
  15. object — to protest
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rock — a stone
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. object — a thing
  20. spell — letters
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — farmland
  23. spell — magic
  24. prune — to trim

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