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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: hide · staff · toast · roll · field · cap · spell · nail

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. field — a subject
  3. cap — a lid
  4. spell — letters
  5. field — for sport
  6. roll — a cake
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spell — magic
  10. staff — a stick
  11. toast — bread
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — farmland
  15. cap — of ice
  16. roll — a list
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. staff — employees
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. spell — a short time
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — a hat

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