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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. scale — in music
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. scale — size or range
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. current — electric
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. current — happening now
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stock — shares
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. stock — goods
  23. current — of water
  24. field — farmland

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