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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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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: mouse · last · tear · board · bear · key · stick · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. key — in music
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. last — final
  7. board — to get on
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. board — a committee
  11. key — for a lock
  12. tear — from crying
  13. field — a subject
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — for sport
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bear — the animal
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mouse — the animal

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