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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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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: deal · rest · club · craft · rule · prune · field · cap

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. club — for golf
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rest — a break
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rule — a law
  13. field — a subject
  14. cap — of ice
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. craft — a skill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — farmland
  20. club — a group
  21. craft — boats
  22. cap — a hat
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. deal — to handle

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