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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 · march · bear · shower · present · cap · field · can

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. can — a tin
  3. shower — rain
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bear — the animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — the month
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — a subject
  12. march — the month
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. present — there
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. present — the time now
  19. field — for sport
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — of ice
  23. present — a gift
  24. field — farmland

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