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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stock — shares
  3. tear — to rip
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — for sport
  9. stock — goods
  10. prune — to trim
  11. field — a subject
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tear — from crying
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. ground — crushed
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ground — a position
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. net — for catching
  23. mark — a grade
  24. calf — a young animal

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