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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pop — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fine — high quality
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. board — a committee
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. board — to get on
  14. field — farmland
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pop — soda
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fine — all right
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fine — a penalty

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