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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 · prune · straw · mouse · lash · fine · season · ground

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fine — high quality
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ground — a position
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. season — of the year
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — a subject
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. season — in sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. ground — the earth

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