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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: can · field · cabinet · hide · face · nail · bark · squash

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. field — for sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. face — to point toward
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bark — to shout
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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