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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: hide · field · ball · stock · cap · key · band · tear

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. field — farmland
  3. key — in music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stock — goods
  7. band — a music group
  8. field — a subject
  9. band — a ring
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. ball — a great time
  18. field — for sport
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stock — shares
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hide — to keep secret

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