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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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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: prune · kid · mug · mate · field · foot · tube · snap

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mate — a partner
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. kid — child
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mug — a face
  10. mate — a friend
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. field — a subject
  14. tube — the underground
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. field — farmland
  17. mate — to breed
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — a container

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