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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. tear — to rip
  6. field — a subject
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. field — farmland
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. field — for sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stand — to bear

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