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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: fine · hand · cap · field · spring · nail · rest · deal

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rest — what's left
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — a coil
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. fine — all right
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rest — a break
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hand — help
  24. nail — for a hammer

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