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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: swing · cabinet · field · tear · present · plane · can · wake

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — a tin
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wake — a trail
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. present — a gift
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. can — a tin
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tear — from crying
  16. present — the time now
  17. tear — to rip
  18. field — a subject
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. present — there
  21. plane — a tool
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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