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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: stick · stand · plane · field · mark · content · chest · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stand — to bear
  3. chest — of your body
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mark — a grade
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mark — a trace
  8. field — farmland
  9. chest — a box
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. chest — of your body
  12. field — a subject
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. content — happy
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. content — the amount
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. field — for sport
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mark — to pay attention

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