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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · tear · spring · toast · plane · bark · mark · field

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. field — for sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spring — the season
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. field — a subject
  9. tear — from crying
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — farmland
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. lean — thin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mark — a trace
  20. plane — a tool
  21. toast — bread
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bark — to shout
  24. tear — to rip

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