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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: tear · nail · racket · lean · date · dip · field · firm

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. field — for sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. tear — from crying
  12. field — farmland
  13. firm — steady
  14. tear — to rip
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. dip — to sink
  17. field — a subject
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lean — thin
  20. firm — decided
  21. tear — from crying
  22. firm — a company
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. date — on the calendar

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