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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · spell · field · foot · rest · last · rash · mate

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. last — final
  4. rash — a series
  5. mate — a partner
  6. foot — a measure
  7. field — for sport
  8. last — to go on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rest — what's left
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — a short time
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rest — a break
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — farmland
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spell — letters
  22. rash — hasty
  23. last — finally
  24. field — a subject

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