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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: tear · hide · fork · field · fall · can · track · mug

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. track — to keep track
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. can — a tin
  7. mug — to rob
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fork — in a road
  13. field — farmland
  14. tear — from crying
  15. track — a song
  16. mug — a face
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. track — a path
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mug — a cup

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