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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: pass · saw · stand · hide · tear · trunk · field · hand

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. hand — help
  6. field — a subject
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. field — farmland
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. field — for 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