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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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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: calf · nail · rash · jam · board · hide · field · march

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. march — music
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. field — farmland
  5. march — the month
  6. field — for sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. board — a committee
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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