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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: rest · kid · tube · present · field · ruler · wake · hide

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rest — a break
  5. field — farmland
  6. present — a gift
  7. kid — child
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tube — the underground
  10. present — there
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tube — a container
  14. rest — what's left
  15. field — for sport
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. present — the time now
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. field — a subject

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