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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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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: bowl · object · pop · straw · prune · field · fan · stand

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — music
  9. object — an aim
  10. field — for sport
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pop — soda
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. object — to protest
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pop — to visit
  20. field — farmland
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. object — a thing

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