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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: field · snap · bowl · rock · spring · toast · file · prune

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. file — a document
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. field — farmland
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — a coil
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. spring — of water
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rock — a stone
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spring — the season
  14. toast — bread
  15. rock — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. snap — to click
  19. file — a tool
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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