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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: field · file · object · shower · lean · jam · land · hide

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. object — to protest
  3. land — to come down
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. land — ground
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. object — an aim
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. land — a country
  15. file — a line of people
  16. shower — to wash
  17. file — a tool
  18. object — a thing
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. file — a document
  21. lean — thin
  22. field — for sport
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. field — farmland

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