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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. tear — to rip
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chair — a leader
  7. club — a group
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chip — for betting
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — for golf
  24. wind — to turn a key

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