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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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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. can — to be able to
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. can — a tin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. field — for sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hand — help

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