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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
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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: clip · nail · face · tear · field · stick · ground · can

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. clip — a video
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — farmland
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. clip — for paper
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. field — a subject
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — a position
  20. face — part of the head
  21. tear — to rip
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — for sport
  24. can — to be able to

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