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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
468
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: straw · bass · lie · prune · ruler · last · field · rash

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — low music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. field — farmland
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rash — hasty
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — to go on
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. rash — a series
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lie — to recline
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. field — for sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lie — an untruth

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