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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 120 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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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: wake · field · calf · court · rule · mark · prune · rest

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rest — what's left
  3. court — for sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. mark — a trace
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rule — a law
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. court — of law
  14. rule — government
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. prune — to trim
  18. field — a subject
  19. court — of a king
  20. field — farmland
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mark — a grade
  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