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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: wind · row · field · ruler · saw · prune · mark · leaves

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. field — a subject
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. field — for sport
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mark — a trace
  16. saw — the tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. field — farmland
  20. row — a line
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ruler — a monarch

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