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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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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: rest · key · fork · cap · hide · field · straw · patient

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — for sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cap — a hat
  8. field — farmland
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rest — what's left
  11. field — a subject
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fork — in a road
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rest — a break
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — in music
  23. cap — of ice
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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