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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pop — soda
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. field — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. can — to be able to
  15. field — a subject
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. can — a tin
  19. pop — to visit
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pop — music
  22. can — a tin
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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