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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: tear · prune · present · trunk · safe · field · bore · firm

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. present — the time now
  3. firm — decided
  4. tear — from crying
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. firm — a company
  7. bore — to drill
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. present — a gift
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — a subject
  12. prune — to trim
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. prune — to trim
  15. field — for sport
  16. bore — to tire
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. present — there
  21. field — farmland
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. firm — steady

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