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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. field — a subject
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. band — a music group
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tear — to rip
  12. field — farmland
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. capital — money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — for sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. capital — a city
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. band — a rubber band

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