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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. prune — to trim
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. firm — decided
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — a subject
  8. fall — to drop
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. degree — an amount
  11. plane — a tool
  12. scale — in music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fall — the season
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. firm — steady
  18. field — farmland
  19. degree — from a university
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. field — for sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fall — to drop

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