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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. face — to confront
  3. plane — a tool
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. charge — in control
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. face — to point toward
  8. tear — to rip
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. field — a subject
  15. bark — to shout
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. charge — a price
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. charge — electricity
  24. prune — to trim

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