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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. band — a ring
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stock — shares
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. drill — the tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. field — farmland
  10. drill — a practice
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. field — a subject
  14. plane — a tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — in music
  17. field — for sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. key — for a lock
  20. band — a music group
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — army training
  24. stock — goods

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