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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: firm · prune · cap · spell · field · pitcher · fan · wake

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cap — a lid
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. field — farmland
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. firm — decided
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wake — a trail

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