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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · can · rush · fork · mate · hide · snap · ground

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ground — a position
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mate — to breed
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rush — hurry
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. can — a tin
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. snap — to click
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. field — a subject
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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