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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: nail · cap · tube · can · deal · tear · field · lash

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tube — a container
  6. field — a subject
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tear — from crying
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cap — a hat
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. can — a tin
  19. deal — to handle
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — farmland
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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