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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 120 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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. shower — to wash
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — a committee
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stock — shares
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. shower — rain
  14. stock — goods
  15. tear — to rip
  16. prune — to trim
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. field — farmland
  24. tear — from crying

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