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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: cue · object · tear · land · foot · field · plane · present

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cue — a hint
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tear — from crying
  5. object — an aim
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. land — a country
  8. cue — for pool
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. tear — to rip
  12. field — a subject
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. present — the time now
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. plane — a tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — for sport
  21. object — to protest
  22. tear — from crying
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — ground

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