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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.

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: season · safe · chest · rash · field · bank · lie · cap

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bank — for money
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bank — for money
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chest — a box
  15. season — of the year
  16. field — for sport
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rash — a series
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bank — of a river
  24. season — in sport

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