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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 120 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: arm · field · ground · tear · safe · squash · cabinet · mug

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. squash — the sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. squash — to crush
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ground — crushed
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. tear — from crying
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. field — farmland
  12. ground — the earth
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. field — for sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — a position
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — to rob

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