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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. board — a committee
  3. tear — to rip
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fine — high quality
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ground — the earth
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fine — all right
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. board — to get on
  18. tear — from crying
  19. perch — the fish
  20. tear — from crying
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — to come down
  24. ground — a position

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