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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. prune — to trim
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tear — to rip
  6. track — a path
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. scale — in music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — a song
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — a phone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cell — in biology
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. scale — for weighing

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