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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: plane · tear · root · field · prune · fall · pit · hide

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — the season
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. prune — to trim
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. root — the cause
  18. field — for sport
  19. root — of a word
  20. field — a subject
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pit — a hole
  23. field — farmland
  24. prune — to trim

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