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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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Word bank
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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: wave · lean · ground · cabinet · plane · field · stock · tear

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lean — to bend
  6. field — for sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ground — the earth
  10. stock — goods
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stock — shares
  13. ground — crushed
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. field — farmland
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lean — thin
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. ground — a position
  22. tear — from crying
  23. field — a subject
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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