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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: key · field · mouse · lean · prune · chair · rest · court

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — for sport
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. field — farmland
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rest — a break
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. court — of law
  21. field — for sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. court — of a king
  24. prune — the fruit

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