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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. can — a tin
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. field — for sport
  9. hand — help
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. hand — in cards
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — a subject
  24. wake — before a funeral

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