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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — for sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — a subject
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stock — goods
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bulb — for light
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. plane — a tool
  24. stock — shares

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