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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. field — for sport
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mine — for digging
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rock — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. field — a subject
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. kick — in football
  17. tear — from crying
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. field — farmland
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rock — to move gently
  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