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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 116 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. field — a subject
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. net — for catching
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — for sport
  10. tear — to rip
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. plane — a tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — after costs
  16. bear — the animal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — farmland
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. net — in sport
  24. plane — in geometry

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