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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: lie · field · present · mug · rash · pound · prune · row

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. field — a subject
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mug — a cup
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. present — there
  10. pound — a weight
  11. row — a line
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rash — a series
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — for sport
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. lie — to recline
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — farmland
  24. row — to paddle

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