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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: bear · stick · field · tear · prune · drill · charge · toast

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bear — the animal
  3. drill — army training
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. tear — from crying
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. charge — a price
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. prune — to trim
  15. field — for sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. field — a subject
  20. toast — bread
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bear — to put up with

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