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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chest — a box
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bass — the fish
  10. field — farmland
  11. tear — from crying
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bass — low music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stem — to come from

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