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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. object — a thing
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. field — farmland
  7. cell — in biology
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. field — a subject
  10. object — to protest
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chip — for betting
  14. field — for sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lie — to recline
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. object — an aim

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