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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. can — a tin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. squash — to crush
  8. plane — a tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. squash — the sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bear — the animal
  16. can — to be able to
  17. game — a match
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. field — a subject
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bear — the animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — for sport

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